It鈥檚 been a long road back to the top for Dalhousie鈥檚 women鈥檚 soccer team.
With 11 Atlantic University Sport titles to its name, Dal can boast more championship banners in women鈥檚 soccer than any other university in the region. But until this past weekend, it had been a decade since the Tigers last brought one home to campus.
On paper, this year鈥檚 team looked very young: with six graduates gone from last year, and no fifth-year players at all, the Tigers鈥� roster was fleshed out with 11 new recruits. But from the start of the season, the team played with passion and, most importantly, they played for each other.
鈥淭here was no single go-to person, nobody that you could point a finger at and say, 鈥楽he鈥檒l be the one who gets it done for us,鈥欌�� says Jack Hutchinson, the team鈥檚 head coach. 鈥淲ith no fifth-year players, everyone has to step up, and every win has to be a full-team effort.鈥�
鈥淲e expected a lot out of each other,鈥� adds Emma Landry, midfielder and third-year science student. 鈥淏ut I think the freshness of the team helped make a big difference.鈥�
Taking on the AUS best
The team entered last weekend鈥檚 AUS championships in Fredericton with a 9-3-1 record. After a 2-0 win over UNB on Friday, the Tigers鈥� pulled off an exciting 3-2 victory over the second-ranked Saint Mary鈥檚 Huskies on Saturday, with midfielder Doriana Homerski notching the winning goal in extra time. The win put the Tigers into the championship showdown with the top-ranked UPEI Panthers on Sunday afternoon.
After a scoreless first half, Ms. Landry鈥攚ho, after only notching one goal in the regular season, scored in both the quarters and semis鈥攃ame out of the dressing room flying, and quickly put the Tigers on the scoreboard.
鈥淚 really felt like I was on a roll,鈥� says Ms. Landry, who was named AUS Subway Female Athlete of the Week for her efforts. 鈥淲e had talked in the dressing room that when we went out we had to score in the first five minutes. I was just at the right spot, at the right time.鈥�
The Panthers spent the entire second half pushing for the equalizer, but the Tigers held strong. And with the UPEI keeper out of the net, Tigers midfielder Joanna Blodgett scored to put the game away, making the Tigers the 2011 AUS champions.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a really rewarding feeling to know that the work you put in every day has paid off, says backfielder Rieka Santilli, a fourth-year commerce student who was the team鈥檚 top scorer in the regular season with seven goals.
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to share this with people that you鈥檝e spent two hours with, every night, for the past three months...it鈥檚 just an amazing group.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 very satisfying,鈥� says Coach Hutchinson. 鈥淚 think the biggest thing, for me, is the sense of accomplishment that the team shares. That championship is what we all strive for.鈥�
Montreal awaits
But there鈥檚 more striving to come: with barely any time to rest, the team leaves at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday for Montreal, where McGill is hosting the CIS championships. The Tigers will face the University of Ottawa in the quarter finals Thursday morning at 11:30 a.m. AST. The game will be streamed live online at SSNCanada.
Given that the Tigers鈥� roster boasts several players from Ontario, they鈥檙e familiar with some of the Ottawa talent. They know they鈥檝e got some tough competition ahead of them this weekend, but the team鈥檚 feeling confident about its chances.
Ms. Landry puts it best: 鈥淲e鈥檝e got some youth and inexperience, but I don鈥檛 mind being the underdog 鈥� it鈥檚 certainly worked for us this year so far.鈥�