UW-Whitewater women’s soccer wrapped up their season Tuesday, Nov. 5, losing in the first round of the WIAC tournament on the road at UW-Eau Claire. 

The Warhawks entered the matchup as the bottom seed in the tournament at number six. The Blugolds were ranked third in the conference. 

Whitewater stuck around with Eau Claire, taking the Blugolds to double overtime and eventually a shootout. It was tied 2-2 after regulation and no one scored in either overtime. Eau Claire took the penalty kicks 4-1 to send the Warhawks home from the playoffs, putting an end to the season. 

“We played extremely well,” head coach Dan Montanye said. “We played hard throughout the entirety of the match, including the two overtimes, which isn’t an easy thing to do; to play that well and that hard for that long against a very good opponent.”

A night filled with intensity, grit, and many emotions did not end in Whitewater’s favor. The Warhawks said farewell to eight seniors who poured their heart and souls into the program over the years. Montanye had a heartfelt message for his seniors whom he had coached and developed over his first two seasons as head coach. 

“I am so incredibly proud of the team and thankful to the seniors for everything they’ve contributed throughout their careers and also this season,” Montaye said. “Thank you for everything that you [seniors] have brought to the program. They are always welcome back here with the Whitewater women’s soccer program.” 

Starting the season off slow with a 1-3-1 start in their first five games, the Warhawks mixed that record up and went 3-1-1 in their next five matches. The final 10 games were not ideal, finishing with a 2-5-3 record. 

Whitewater went into the WIAC tournament being outscored 0-10 in their final two matches of the season. However, they fared well against their final two WIAC opponents: a draw against UW-Platteville at home that featured no goals for either side and a victory over UW-Stout on the road 2-0. 

As a roster, the Warhawk freshmen occupied 11 roster spots. They outnumbered the senior class 11 to 8. Four sophomores and four more juniors rounded out coach Montanye’s 27 spot roster. 

Senior midfielder Jordyn Czarapata took time to reflect on the relationships she had built over her last couple of years as a Warhawk. 

“I feel like all of the teammates I have had over the years have become sisters to me. I’m definitely going to miss the community that was built here,” Czarapata said. 

For this season specifically, the big freshman presence on the team created a new, unfamiliar experience. That never fazed the rest of the squad one bit. 

Czarapata thought this was the most close-knit team she had seen in her time spent as a Whitewater Warhawk. 

“Having so many different personalities [because of the number of freshmen] come in and everyone bond together really stuck out to me,” Czarapata said. “I could tell everyone showed up to practice and gave everything they had, which is so different compared to my last couple of years. It was nice to end my senior year with that kind of work ethic.”

The hard work paid off this season, with the Warhawks playing well in conference play this year. Although the record shows 2-3-2 in the WIAC, no game is easy in a very tough conference. Montanye highlighted multiple conference games as moments that stuck out to him this season.

“Our home match against [No. 2] Platteville this year, I thought everybody stepped up and played tremendously well against one of the better teams in the conference. We earned ourselves a draw there,” Montanye said. “I’m happy with our wins we picked up on the road in conference against Oshkosh and Stout. That was not an easy thing to do; go on the road in conference and pick up wins.” 

The moments that stuck out for Czarapata this season occurred off the field. She mentioned getting the underclassmen involved and creating one big sisterhood on the team.

“We did a lot more team-building stuff. From freshmen to seniors, we would have them [underclassmen] over for movie nights or going out to eat, places in Whitewater, just so that they get out of the soccer setting too,” Czarapata said. 

Czarapata valued being off of the soccer field just as much as being on. There are so many different aspects to college soccer and college athletics in general. Time spent practicing, lifting, studying game film, bus rides, and so much more. Czarapata’s message to the underclassmen was simple, yet influential. 

“Don’t take anything for granted,” Czarapata said. “The next game, the next practice; nothing is guaranteed. Injuries and life happen, sometimes you’re stuck in the moment of not seeing the bigger picture of things. I wish I had one more practice or one more game that I could play in.”

A bittersweet ending to the Warhawks season left the seniors wanting one more. However, looking forward to next season, the Warhawks will cut their graduating class in half. Four juniors, goalkeepers Greta Harms and Jude Dobrinska, forward/defender Kaidence Horner and midfielder/defender Avery Haisman will provide veteran leadership for the Warhawks in the 2025 season.

They will be looking to build on a young roster that gained a lot of experience early in their collegiate careers.