Northwestern men and women soccer teams travelled a significant distance to play their first games of the season. The men’s team started their season in the Chicago area, while the women’s kicked off their season in Montana.
The men’s soccer team had a 2-0 win against Roosevelt in Arlington Heights, Il. The Roosevelt game made forward Stan van den Beld Scooter’s player of the week. The Raiders put up a fight at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Il, but lost 3-1 to the Trolls.
Head Men’s Soccer coach, Dan Swier, says that this trip was great for team building both on and off the field. “These trips are always good for building team camaraderie, even if everything doesn’t go the way you want it to,” Swier said. “On this particular trip, we enjoyed overcoming the extreme heat conditions to win our first match of the season against Roosevelt. We enjoyed our day off in downtown Chicago.”
To the west, the women’s soccer team had strong showings in Montana, but lost both games during their time in the Big Sky state. The Raiders started their season by playing against University of Providence Argos in Great Falls, Montana, but lost 2-4. The women’s next game was in Helena, against Caroll University. Another loss: 0-2.
Midfielder Julie Dunlap enjoyed the bonding time the team was able to have during this long trip. “The drive was long, which meant we spent a ton of time together on the bus watching movies, playing games, laughing (and) getting to know each other,” Dunlap said. “I enjoyed getting ice cream after one of our games, and while we ate, we listened to a busker who was playing guitar and singing.”
Goalkeeper Abigail Bastian, who got 12 saves during the Caroll game, said that the losses did not hurt team morale. “I think the most memorable moments from the trip were when we were driving from Great Falls to Helena,” Bastian said. “It was disappointing to have lost the game, especially after being up 2-0 at half, but most of the girls still held their head up high.”
