In the last home game of the season, the University of Indianapolis women’s soccer team fell to Lewis University 3-2 on Oct. 26.
The Greyhounds took the lead early, with junior midfielder/forward Taylor Cotherman stealing a Lewis goal kick and driving it down the field in the 19th minute of the game.
Cotherman assisted sophomore Jocelyn Evans right before the 27th minute of the game, putting the team up 2-0.
The Flyers scored their first goal of the game just before the first half ended, making the game 2-1.
Lewis came back for the second half and tied the game at the 57th minute mark.
With two minutes left in regulation, the Flyers made the game winning goal off a corner kick.
Two days before, the Greyhounds travelled to the undefeated University of Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers on Oct. 24 where they fell 3-0.
Prior to the loss, senior midfielder Stacey Klene said the team was prepared to challenge the Rangers.
“I think this weekend’s going to be really tough, but we’re excited to give them a taste of us Greyhounds,” Klene said.
While the Rangers scored the first goal in the 17th minute, the Greyhounds did give them a taste as they held the Rangers from scoring again until after the 70th minute mark.
Sophomore back/midfielder Hannah Mangus and Evans both took two shots, while senior midfielder Stacey Klene and freshman midfielder Melissa Kapsalis each took a shot as well. Senior goalkeeper Megan Fee made seven saves in goal in the game.
During the weekend before their trip to Wisconsin-Parkside, the Greyhounds celebrated Senior Day on Sunday, Oct. 19, with a 1-0 victory over the Maryville University Saints at Key Stadium.
Thirteen minutes into the game, Klene scored the first and only goal of the match off a corner kick from junior midfielder/forward Lindsey Adams. Senior goalkeeper Megan Fee also had her fourth shutout of the season with seven saves in goal.
Head Women’s Soccer Coach Kiley Cirillo said that the win itself was great, but to have it on a day of senior celebration was even more rewarding.
“Anytime you can give an opportunity to your seniors, who have worked so hard for four years, a chance to reward them, and the team can reward them with a victory, [it] is a special day,” Cirillo said.
As a senior, Klene said the win was special and enjoyed the moment with her team.
“It was awesome and such a big day for us.,” Klene said. “Emotions are high obviously and so you have to put in that factor, but I think everyone just worked their butts off. Everyone worked for each other in that game.”
Two days before the victory, the Greyhounds battled with the University of Missouri-St. Louis Tritons in double overtime, ending in a 1-1 tie.
The Tritons scored first in the 37th minute of the game, but in the second half, sophomore forward Jocelyn Evans scored her third goal of the season, with the assistance of senior midfielder Katie Johnston, to tie up the game. Neither team could respond with a goal, taking the game into two periods of overtime. The Greyhounds took 18 shots total in the game, five of which were in overtime, but could not score the match winner.
The tie was UIndy’s fourth of the season, something Cirillo said is quite a high number for a single season. Cirillo also said that despite the team’s difficulties, the tie was still an achievement.
“[The Tritons] did some things that created havoc for us, and we really couldn’t find our rhythm of the game,” he said. “Our styles are completely contradicting, but anytime you can come away with a tie or a win, that’s important. We gave up a goal early, but our team battled back, and that shows character.”
According to Klene, having the right mentality is crucial when going into overtime during a match.
“My mentality is ‘Okay, I really don’t want to have to play these two extra 10 minute halves, so I’m going to go as hard as I can in this 10 minutes and make sure we score,’” Klene said. “Your body is totally fatigued, so it’s all mental at that point.”
After the victory against Maryville, with a record of 4-7-4, Klene said that she still felt that she had accomplished her personal goals and is also proud of her team.
“Personally, I think I’ve reached the goals I’ve wanted to reach. I think I have become a leader on this team and somebody that people look up to. I work my hardest out there. I give it all I can when I am out there on the field,” Klene said. “Obviously, we want to make it to the tournament more. We’ve only made it once in my four years of being here, and I wish we made it every year, but we work very hard every year and that’s something to be proud of.”
With a record of 4-9-4 , 3-7-4 in the GLVC, Klene said the chemistry and the team’s flow on the field still make her final season successful.
“This year, I honestly feel like we were the best team yet that I’ve been with,” Klene said. “The chemistry is there. It took us awhile, but we execute and finish, and that’s one of the main points of soccer. I’ve gotten a ton out of soccer here at UIndy, and I would never take that back.”
Cirillo credits the chemistry to the strong leadership shown not only by the seniors, but also by every player on the team.
“We like to say all the girls on our team are leaders. We try to encourage them to be leaders, and we try to empower our team. We’re about empowering our women to be young women who are growing into adult women. The leaders who have shown up, like [junior midfielder/forward] Taylor Cotherman, Stacey Klene, Katie Johnston -just to name a few- have done well and have grown in their leadership positions,” Cirillo said. “The list goes on and on, and I don’t think there’s anyone on the team that we don’t look at [at] some point and see they are being a leader.”
The final regular season match for the Greyhounds will take place tonight at Saint Joseph’s College and is set to begin at 8:30 p.m.
