The results are still short of what the Clan would hope for, but amidst this difficult transitional season, the SFU women’s soccer team is showing no signs of quitting.
After a winless five-game home stand at Terry Fox Field, capped off by a 7–0 lambasting at the hands of the second-ranked Western Washington Vikings, the Clan women hit the road, where the competition didn’t get much easier. Still, in two games away from home last week, the team refused to pack it in.
Against the Central Washington Wildcats, ranked 10th in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II field, the Clan lost 4–1. Head coach Shelley Howieson’s team trailed 3–0 at halftime, but put together a better second half, tying the Wildcats with a goal apiece in the final 45.
Sophomore midfielder Karm Jawandha was also forced into goaltending duties midway through the second half after starting keeper Simone Tessler, who had just returned from injury the game prior, was knocked out of the game.
Dealing with these sorts of injuries has been quite an issue for the Clan this season. Said Howieson after the 7–0 drubbing against the Vikings at home: “When you go up against the number-two ranked team and don’t have all hands on deck it’s tough, and that showed in the result.”
It’s tough no matter the opponent, and as tough as it has been for the team, and as much as it has cost them, it has been somewhat of a rallying point for them as well.
In the second game of their three-game road trip, the Clan dropped a 2–0 result to another top-10 ranked school, the Western Oregon University Wolves. Tessler was able to return from her injury and make the start, and made four saves in the loss, but there were still plenty of missing pieces.
“The result is frustrating because we gave a really spirited performance,” said Howieson after the match. “With injuries, we really had to piece together our line up and the players gave a great effort.”
There are positives for the Clan; in a year that started with so many question marks, Howieson and her staff are able to see what some of her players are capable of, players who might not have had a shot if it weren’t for injuries. Of course, the counterargument is that, in a year that Howieson would be one to build upon, there has been little opportunity for cohesion and development.
Just past the midway mark of the season, there are still plenty of questions surrounding the SFU women’s soccer team. But one thing isn’t in question: no matter their opponent, and no matter who’s in the lineup — or out of it — the Clan won’t quit.
