With this being head coach Seong Bong Ha’s final year as a coach for the women’s soccer team, senior captain Kaily Bruch says the team is motivated to have a successful season in his honor.
“We are trying to do the best for him more than our selves, because he is really into soccer,” senior Tami Ulrich said.
The women currently hold a record of 5-2, and according to Ulrich, they are hoping to rank first in their conference this season.
The women started their season on April 16, losing 2-1. According to Ulrich, this game was significant because of the close score.
“Our team chemistry is really good this year [and] we are all really close,” Ulrich said. “We have really good underclassmen, so we kind of just all picked it up [during the Loyola game].”
The women also played Glenbrook North on April 11, winning 4-0. The women wore jerseys that had senior Yasmin Chavez’s name written across the back. The game was used as a fundraising event to help pay for Chavez’s medical expenses; as she was battling Non-Hodgkins Diffused Large B-Cell Lymphoma Cancer, but is now in remission. Though Chavez played for a few minutes, she is still not fully participating.
“For the Glenbrook North game it was so fun, because we were playing for her,” Ulrich said. “We’re just waiting for her to come back out on the field and play with us again.”
According to senior captains Madison Kane and Lauren Brennan, the team has been working on their fitness and communication this season.
“We have a lot of returners who can show leadership and communication, and [they’ve been] a good example for underclassman who are new to the team,” Brennan said.
Ha says that the team’s defense needs to tighten up with their transitions because strong defense leads to strong offense.
“We need to simplify our game, play within ourselves, and play to our strengths and overcome mental/physical shortcomings,” Ha said.
A recent win for the women was the Antioch tournament on April 18 and 19. Their next game will be away tomorrow, April 25, against Normal Community.
