Women’s Soccer is on a Roll

(originally published on October 31, 2021; adapted for this portfolio)

McDaniel’s Women’s Soccer has been on a roll since their first game, a 3-0 road win against Catholic University.

But the team’s roll didn’t stop with just one shutout win; they went on to win their next nine games without allowing the other team to score a goal. One success, in particular, was huge for the Green Terror.

On September 15th, The Green Terror beat the number 1 ranked team in the country, Messiah College, by 1-0. The game’s lone goal was scored in the 77th minute by senior forward and captain Hannah Schepers.

“Scoring against Messiah was an extremely exciting moment,” Schepers said, “We had worked hard the entire game, and it eventually paid off. Maddie Schwartz (graduate midfielder) played a perfect pass to me late in the second half.”

This moment is an unforgettable moment for the whole team.

According to Schepers, “Eveyone was super excited since we had just scored on the number one team in the nation.”

Schepers also mentioned that there was a significant chunk of time left in the game, so the team had to stay focused on the task.

Since that win against Messiah, the Green Terror have climbed up into the United Soccer Coaches Poll top 10 for Division III schools.

This season for the Green Terror has been one for the storybooks. The lady Green Terror have worked super hard to get to where they are now; they work hard every time they take the field and have had a few other victories that came down to late in their matches.

With minutes remaining to play in the second half, down one to zero against Swarthmore, Hannah Schepers scored the game-tying goal, another big part Schepers played.

“Remaining confident in myself and my teammates is very important and has (sic) defined who we are,” Schepers said. “We were down 1-0 to Swarthmore, but we did not let that hurt our confidence or change how we played.”

Unfortunately for the Green Terror, it was against Swarthmore that McDaniel’s streak of not allowing a goal ended. According to the McDaniel Athletics website’s game log for the Swarthmore game, the scoreless streak lasted 1,235 minutes and 44 seconds, dating back to the 2019 season. This was a vast streak, but all streaks have to end eventually.

Schepers’ confidence in her team prevailed in McDaniel’s Women’s Soccer team to this massive victory against Swarthmore to remain undefeated.

It was sophomore midfielder Elaina Kluttz scored the game-winner with less than five minutes remaining in the match. This goal also happened to be Kluttz’s first career college goal.

“Scoring my first college goal was extremely exciting for me, especially because it was a game winner,” Kluttz said. “All the hugs and love I received from my teammates made it a moment I won’t ever forget.

After all that McDaniel women’s soccer has done this season, it makes us realize, what can’t this team do??

Unfortunately for the Green Terror, their winning streak came to a frustrating end on October 13th versus a number two ranked team in the nation, Johns Hopkins. A 2-1 loss, which the Lady Green Terror fought through sudden death overtime.

Since that loss, the Green Terror won their next two games, and with only a couple of games left, the Green Terror hope to keep up their momentum to fight for the Centennial Conference title and the National Title.