The 2016 women’s soccer team has faced a lot of adversity coming into the season, according to Head Coach Seong Ha. However, the girls have exceeded Ha’s expectations and were on a winning streak of 18 games before losing to New Trier in the post-season on May 24.

The Titans team coordination has been a huge component in regards to this seasons success, according to Ha.

“The team chemistry has been great,” Ha said. “We are playing great defense, and our goaltending has been great. Our midfielders and forwards have been ruthless on other teams [as well].”

The Titan’s highest point of the regular season was tying against New Trier, who was number one in the nation, according to senior captain Olivia Peters.

“We knew we had the potential to possibly beat them,” Peters said. “We were the underdogs, [so] we didn’t have anything to lose.”

Although the game ended in a tie, 1-1, the girls were confident and content with their performance, according to Peters.

“We all played our hearts out,” Peters said. “That was a real turning point in our season for us.”

The Titans also showed strong composure against New Trier the first time they played on April 19,allowing only one goal and containing the Trevians’ offensive attack, according to Ha.

“What really stood out was our leadership, communication and our organization,” Ha said.

According to Ha, the girls communication prevented any early breakdowns because they were also very organized, knowing where to be at the right time.

The Titans’ strong defensive performance against New Trier nearly resulted in a win, but a goal with five minutes left and uneven time of possession forced a tie, according to junior forward Lily Sands.

“New Trier has a lot of skillful players, and our ability to compete and not always get knocked off the ball really helped us tie the game,” Sands said. “We didn’t dominate possession because they had the ball the majority of the time, and we were left chasing [the ball].”

Although the New Trier tie was the highlight of the season, the girls had some crucial learning points in the season, according to Ha.

“We were tied with Evanston until we allowed a goal with a minute and 50 seconds left in the match,” Ha said. “We have to learn from those games, to progress our season and rewrite those wrongs.”

In addition to New Trier and Evanston, the women had a tie with Maine South. The Titans outshot the Hawks 14-4 but tied the game 1-1, according to Ha.

A big reason for the Titans’ success has been the strong leadership  and determination of the seniors and captains, according to Sands.

“We all want to go far,” Sands said. “[The seniors’] positivity and confidence has really helped us [throughout the season].”

The Titans lost to New Trier on May 24 ending by a score of 0-1 in overtime, acording to Peters.