It would be difficult to imagine a more blissful moment than the one that took place the last time the Southwestern women's soccer team played a match on Varsity Field.
On November 10, 2019, Southwestern defeated Trinity University in a double-overtime penalty-kick shootout for the first SCAC Championship in program history. Fans and players rushed the field in pure jubilation. When the Pirates suit up for the season opener against Texas Lutheran University this Sunday, the fans will be absent and the stakes considerably lower, but the joy will be no less prevalent.
"This has been a challenging year. We haven't played a game since November of 2019. We've always thrived in practice, but this might be the first time the entire team has looked forward to it every day," head coach Linda Hamilton jokes. "They're just excited about finally getting a game on the books."
Two years ago, Southwestern was coming off a narrow loss in the SCAC championship match. The Pirates used the pain of that defeat as motivation to lock in for an entire summer and fall. Now they're in a weird place where they're the defending champions, but it happened so long ago that it's difficult to see how that moment might translate to this season.
"I think it's a combination where you want to build on your positive history because that's what got you here, but you also want to have a short memory," Hamilton says. "You're only as good as your last game. Just because we've won it once, that doesn't mean the journey stops. We have to do it again, and that requires an entirely new level of commitment."
In case anyone needed a reminder Trinity wasn't going anywhere, the SCAC preseason coaches' poll listed the Tigers one vote shy of being the unanimous favorites to win the conference championship with five returning all-conference players, including Camryn Beall and Kaity Ward, who were first-team All-West Region last season.
Southwestern returns first-team All-SCAC and All-West Region selection Alexis Guajardo, second-team All-SCAC selection Samiah Varnell, and a slew of honorable mentions in Maya Fuller, Juliana Chapa, Juliet Pridgen, and Karlee Holmes. However, the team did lose All-West Region defensive stars Mary Cardone and Romie Reyna.
"Year after year, you have players leave and new ones come in," Hamilton says. "We were fortunate to have a young team during our championship season. I think the core group remaining understands what it takes to be part of a championship program."
The team is led by captains Maya Fuller, a senior forward, and junior defender Sam Davis. Fuller is a versatile player who finished second on the team in goals scored with seven, ending the season with 15 points. Davis is a stout defender who anchors the backline with her experience.
"I think it's great Maya is a senior and Sam is a junior, so there's going to be some continuity moving forward," Hamilton says. "Maya is such a hard worker and great role model in the attacking half, and what's great about Sam is she has such a calming exterior. She could be flipping out on the inside, and you'd never notice. They're both very caring and take their roles to heart. The team made great choices in selecting them."
The defending champions remain relatively young, with Fuller, Annie Ewton, and Sarah McGinn the lone seniors on the roster. The team returns its top three point scorers from last season in Guajardo (18 points), Fuller (15), and Pridgen (15). Holmes proved to be clutch the previous season. Whitney Whitehill scored eight points last season and should be stronger after another year removed from a significant injury. Hanna Sanderson brings excellent experience on defense.
"Some of the players have stepped up, and I think we look good on both sides of the ball," Hamilton says. "I'm thrilled with our team's evolution. We're going to be looking to win games utilizing our attack this year."
Southwestern's young core has developed a beautiful, technical, possession-oriented style that builds out of the back, through the midfield, with a lot of movement and improvisation in the final attacking third.
"We like to give a lot of freedom for them to create those moments," Hamilton says. "They have a lot of flexibility and autonomy as to how they want to attack. They're competitive, they're good with the ball, and they're committed to the process."
In the net, junior Elyssia Salas and freshman Johnna Campbell will have the opportunity to share duties and pick up valuable experience after Cardone dominated the position the previous four years.
"We lost the best goalkeeper in Division III, but I'm happy with Campbell and Salas. They don't have to be Mary," Hamilton says. "Campbell is a talented freshman, and Salas has worked patiently behind Cardone over the years. This season will be good for both of them."
If last season felt like a culmination of great careers for the senior class, this season is brimming with the excitement of something new.
"It's a fun group. They laugh, they enjoy themselves, and they want to continue setting records and being the first to do things," Hamilton says. "I think this can be the most talented team we've had. The season is an unwritten book right now, and I'm excited to see how we fill out the pages."