Through a season of highs and lows, the University of Redlands women's soccer team got hot right when it needed in order to advance to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament as the third-seed with a conference record of 6-7-1 en route to an overall mark of 9-8-1.
The team opened the 2017 campaign with a historical, non-conference game against the first-ever Caltech women's soccer team. In a total team effort, the Maroon and Gray defeated the Beavers by a final score of 5-0.
Redlands continued its solid start with a big, in-region victory over UC Santa Cruz and a lopsided thrashing of Shepherd University. Senior forward Mollie Craighead (Descanso, CA) scored in each contest while providing the game-winner in the Bulldogs' 2-0 victory over the Banana Slugs. Sophomore forward Alexa Groesser (Denver, CO) shined in the Shepherd contest by breaking into the Redlands top-10 records with four goals in a single game. Senior defender Erin Schlosser (Sammamish, WA) also came out firing on all cylinders with an assist in two of the first three games of the season.
After dropping their first conference game at Cal Lutheran, the Bulldogs regrouped to defeat Whittier College in a comeback win on the road. After giving up a goal in the first half, Redlands lit up the scoreboard twice in the second half to take home the impressive 2-1 win. In the 47th minute, Groesser dribbled her way around defenders and rocketed one through the posts for the 1-1 equalizer. At the 62:39-mark, junior defender Louisa Alstot (Portland, OR) served a nice ball to Groesser, who found the back of the net for the eventual game-winner. But with plenty of time left in the game, Redlands looked to senior goalkeeper Hannah Menk (Pleasanton, CA) to step up to the defensive challenge by making six huge saves in the final 30 minutes.
The Maroon and Gray kept the positive result coming in the first home SCIAC game of the season on September 20. Much like the Whittier game, the Bulldogs got down early in the contest but showed immense heart and determination to rally back for the win in the second half. In the 65th minute, Alstot placed a beautiful corner kick right in front of the goal, where freshman defender Abby Nordquist (Gig Harbor, WA) headed it towards the net, but the Oxy keeper made a diving save. Thankfully, junior midfielder Rachel Tungol (San Ramon, CA) was right there to redirect the deflection for the 1-1 equalizer. Twelve minutes later, Tungol worked the ball downfield towards Redlands' offensive third. She hit a sharp cross towards the middle of the box and found junior forward Adi Fellows (Albuquerque, NM), who volleyed the ball into the back of the net for the 2-1 Bulldog advantage. Menk continued to impress between the posts by coming up with seven total saves to preserve the huge 2-1 conference win.
Following a two-game skid, the Bulldogs jumped back into the win column against the University of La Verne for a solid finish to the month of September. Early in the contest, junior defender Madison Mills (San Ramon, CA) crossed the ball to the far post, where Craighead headed it back across the box before Fellows successfully volleyed the ball into the back of the net for an early Maroon and Gray advantage. With the 1-0 lead, the Bulldog defense held off the Leopards to secure the hard-fought victory.
After dropping a tough loss to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, Redlands needed to quickly recharge, as No. 25 Cal Lutheran University was up next on the schedule. Although the majority of play in the first stanza seemed to remain near midfield, Alstot worked the ball to the top corner of the box and crossed it to Craighead in the 26th minute. Craighead flicked the ball in the air to freshman midfielder Emily Falla (Woodinville, WA), who sent it past the Regal goalkeeper for the 1-0 Bulldog advantage and eventual game-winner. Although Cal Lutheran elevated its level of play early in the second stanza, the Redlands defense stepped up in a big way. Menk finished the game with eight great saves for the shutout. With the result, the Bulldogs handed the Regals their first conference loss of the season.
Following a pair of close SCIAC losses, Redlands worked to regroup when it traveled to historically-challenging Pomona-Pitzer's field on October 18. With persistence and heart, the Bulldogs battled back to knot the score and eventually headed home with a 1-1 draw. In the 66th minute, sophomore midfielder Hanya Loskutoff (Dublin, CA) played a short cross backward to Falla, who rocketed home the equalizer for the Bulldogs. With neither team finding the break-through, the game finished in a 1-1 tie after two overtime periods. With the hard-fought point in the standings, the Bulldogs ended a five-year drought on the road at Pomona-Pitzer.
The Bulldogs next hosted Chapman University on Senior Day. Before the start of the game, the team took a few minutes to honor the careers of its five seniors in Menk, Craighead, Schlosser, midfielder Shayla Funk (Fremont, CA), and defender Leanna Vince (Redmond, WA). Amidst two evenly-matched teams, Chapman scored late in the first half, which forced Redlands to work from behind. The home team's best opportunity came in the 72nd minute when Schlosser arched a beautifully-placed corner kick towards the far side of the box. Falla connected with the ball on a bounce and fired it towards goal, but it just nicked the crossbar and went over. Unfortunately for the home team, the final regular-season game on Farquhar Field ended in a 0-1 defeat.
In a narrow race for the second, third, and fourth seeds in the SCIAC, the Bulldogs faced an uphill battle that required them to dig deep against two teams on the road if they wanted to extend their season.
Redlands took the first step of this challenge by completing the season sweep of La Verne in a road win against the Leopards. Eleven minutes into the second half, freshman midfielder Eva Vlassopoulos (Portland, OR) served a low ball to the near post where Craighead flicked it to junior midfielder Hayley Romo (Port Orchard, WA). Romo then one-touched it past the Leopard goalkeeper to put the Bulldogs on the board. As La Verne continued to press for the equalizer, Menk answered the call by making an unbelievable, diving save in a sea of people to preserve the big, 1-0 win.
Three days later, the Maroon and Gray looked to avenge its earlier loss to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps by reversing the outcome in the final game of the regular season. This game would not only allow Redlands to split results with the Athenas, but it became a must-win scenario in order to move onto the SCIAC Postseason Tournament. Only a few minutes into the action, Romo received a sweet pass from Mills before ripping the ball from 18 yards out to find the upper-left corner of the net for an early 1-0 Bulldog lead. Thanks to the defensive prowess of Schlosser, Alstot, Nordquist, and sophomore Bria Bowton (Spokane, WA), the Athenas never tested Menk in the first half, as she faced no shots on goal. Sophomore midfielder Mel Johnson (Bremerton, WA) helped lock down play in the midfield by making a seamless transition from offense to defense and back again. This minimized CMS' chances for an equalizer, as the Bulldogs worked to create a cushion with another goal. Although the game was scoreless for the remainder, Redlands went home with a huge 1-0 win that not only secured its spot in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament but elevated its position to the No. 3 seed.
With hopes of extended its season, Redlands headed to Pomona-Pitzer to take on the No. 2 Sagehens in a back-and-forth semifinal match. The home team jumped on the board to take an early 1-0 lead at the 11:23-mark. Nonetheless, this lit a fire within Redlands, as Mills put up a high cross that found the head of Tungol for the 1-1 equalizer just 20 seconds after the restart. However, Pomona-Pitzer broke through to go up 2-1 with 15 minutes remaining in regulation. Craighead tried her foot at a shot in the 88th minute for a last-ditch effort but was not successful, with Redlands leaving it all on the field in the tough, season-ending loss.
Following the season, Menk and Mills etched their names onto the All-SCIAC Second Team, as voted upon by the head coaches. Furthermore, Mills represented the Maroon and Gray on the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Third Team for her first such award in her Bulldog career.
In addition, Menk was nominated and became a finalist for the John Wooden Athletes for a Better World Citizenship Cup, which honors student-athletes who excel in the classroom, in the community, and on the field.
With an intense desire to return to the SCIAC Postseason Tournament, the Bulldog women's soccer team came on strong at the right time to make that happen in 2017. With overall success and leadership, Redlands holds high hopes for the future as it builds upon this year's momentum and gains from the talent and dedication of a hearty returning crew.