UW-Whitewater women’s soccer drew 1-1 against the Marian Sabers Saturday, Sept. 6. It was a close game that started off slow, but picked up in the second half. While the game ended with a tie, the team had a lot of positive takeaways.
The first half remained scoreless, 0-0. While it was a slow first half, communication was a strong point for the Warhawks, and remained so throughout the game.
“I think there’s a lot of power that comes from the bench as well with communication,” senior forward Summer Curtis said. “I think encouragement and communication from players helps when tensions are high.”
The Warhawks came into the second half of the game ready to communicate and to play more aggressively. They took the initiative at the start, and freshman Aria Patel scored her first goal with the program from a corner kick with 39 minutes remaining in the second half, with defender Anna Gunderson on the assist.
When asked what the halftime message was that led to that goal by Patel, head coach Dan Montanye stated that “there were just a couple of tactical adjustments that we made to make all of our lives easier, which I think did help them.”
The Sabers quickly responded to the Warhawks’ goal, and the score would remain tied at 1-1. Even though the game ended in a draw, the strong communication throughout the game makes Whitewater confident going forward.
“For the next game in order to improve I think we just need to let go and learn,” sophomore defender Isabelle Torres said. “With every mistake made today you kind of have to learn to shake it off, talk to your teammates, and have them kind of pick you up.”
The team is ready for more opportunities and more playing time as a team.
“I’m just really looking forward to the next opportunity,” Montanye said. “We have our next game in a couple of days and another chance to get a victory.”
With good preparation and training, the Warhawks are eager to get back on track and continue a strong start to the season.
