The women’s soccer team is halfway through their season with a current record of 8-2, placing in their original sectional for playoffs for the first time since 2007, according to Head Coach Seong Bong Ha.

“Last year, I definitely knew what I had coming into tryouts with the number of returnees, especially with 10 seniors,” Ha said. “This season, we had approximately the same amount of returnees and seniors, but [I] didn’t know how these girls would step [up] and continue the tradition of high level of play that other teams had possessed. These girls this year have what it takes, and [they have] exceeded my expectations.”

Similar to Ha, Senior Captain Olivia Peters admires the team’s charisma, athletic ability and willingness to do well on the field.

“This team works very well together, and we have a bunch of multi-sport athletes who are very athletic,” Peters said. “Our team has already gone through ups and downs, and I think our team has responded extremely well to everything. We all have the same competitiveness and drive to win and it’s easy to see that on the field.”

The women lost to Evanston on April 5, with a final score of 0-1, according to Senior Captain Annie Brennan.

“In the last two minutes [of the game], [Evanston] got a foul at the 30-yard line,” Brennan said. “Then one of their girls took a really good kick and hit it high in the corner. It wasn’t anything about our defense falling apart or any team issues; it was just someone on our team who was being good and aggressive, and that’s [not her fault]. The referee just happened to call [it a foul], and the goalie tried as hard as she could to make the save, but it was just a great shot [by the other team].”

Ha believes that the Titans stayed competitive throughout the whole game despite the outcome.

“Offensively, we didn’t generate much, especially in the second half, but I was really pleased in what the girls did to stay competitive and [how they used the game] as a building block to play soccer with solid communication and numbers behind the ball.”

After the loss against Evanston, the women bounced back on April 12 when they beat Mundelein by a score of 2-0, according to Peters.

“I think we came out really strong in the Mundelein game,” Peters said. “[Mudelein] only lost one game before they played us, so we knew they were going to be tough. We won 2-0, and it was a big team effort and a really nice win for our team.”

The women are placed in their original Sectional for the first time since 2007, according to Ha.

“On paper, we know we are not the favorite, [and] for me and this team, we’re fine with that,” Ha said. “It’s our job, not others, to make no excuses and give [New Trier, Evanston, Maine South and Loyola] our best game [in the playoffs].”

The next time the women hit the turf will be against Maine South on April 23.