The UW-Whitewater women’s soccer team came into this matchup against the Carthage Firebirds on a skid, drawing two games and losing one after their season-opening victory over Bethel. For the majority of the game, it looked like their struggles would continue. Although the Warhawks played tough defense, the Firebirds matched their intensity and physicality. The game remained tied 0-0 with less than 10 minutes in regulation.
That was when freshman forward Rowan Severson saw an opportunity.
“We were able to open up a lot of channels and spread their defense out,” Severson said. “I saw the left side, and [the Carthage goalie] kept reaching for it, thinking I was going to shoot it. I just kept going until I could see that little opening, and with the defense spread out, it gave me a chance to hit the ball. I hit it well, thankfully.”
Severson scored the only goal of the game with just eight minutes remaining in regulation, and with how physical and intense the defense had been, it felt like if anyone managed to score that it would be the only goal they’d need. That is exactly how it played out.
“We’ve played Carthage in the past, and they’ve always been a really physical and one-on-one team,” junior defender Anna Gunderson said. “Everyone was taking [the physicality] as they could, and we worked our butts off to get on their marks and get their stuff covered.”
Head coach Dan Montanye echoed that sentiment, but added how important the communication and teamwork was to the defensive effort.
“It was really important that we work together as a unit and communicate our marks,” Montanye said. “We did a really nice job staying organized which helped limit their good opportunities to score.”
Carthage did have opportunities to score, with seven shots and four of them being shots on goal. While a few of their shots missed, Carthage did have some shots that looked like surefire goals, just for the Warhawks’ goalies to make a diving stop. Hannah Wolf had three saves, while Jude Dobrinska had one.
Every team has an identity, the Warhawks play physical and tough. They want everyone to step up and contribute in a meaningful way.
“I feel our identity is just to win your battles. I think that’s what we did tonight,” Gunderson said. “Everyone took it upon themselves and won their own battles.”
Communication has been an emphasis throughout this season, with both players and coaches highlighting the importance of communicating while on the pitch. Over the course of a season, teams naturally start to have more chemistry with things like communication improving at the same time.
“They’re definitely starting to get used to each other and learning each other a lot more as they play together,” Montanye said. “It’s really fun to see them find that rhythm out on the field together and to be more in sync than they were earlier in the year.”
While the Warhawks only scored one goal against Carthage, and are averaging just 1.2 goals per game this season, there are indicators that the offensive output should be increasing sooner than later.
“I thought that we did a really nice job finding the wide areas and really getting numbers around the ball to be able to get some good shots away,” Montanye said. “We kept creating chances, which was key for us, instead of settling for bad looks.”
Severson echoed that sentiment, noting how important it was to get those good looks and communicate with one another. She also emphasized the importance of being able to capitalize on opportunities to score while reading what the defender is doing.
This close victory helped boost morale and give the team some extra confidence.
“We were pushing hard all game,” Severson said. “We had so many chances throughout the game and we defended our butts off. To hit it in those last 10 minutes and finish the game strong makes us feel good. You end good and everyone is feeling good for the next one.”
Coach Montanye credited the team’s hard work and perseverance, and acknowledged that the results haven’t necessarily been indicative of their performance.
“We’ve been putting out some pretty good performances over the last couple of games but haven’t been getting the wins to show for it,” Montanye said. “I’m really proud of them for continuing to work and putting out good performances knowing that good things come to those that keep persevering. That good thing came tonight in the form of a win.”
As the season continues to progress, wear and tear as well as fatigue will start to set in. The Warhawks know they’ll need to rely on their depth, but coach Montanye has full confidence that everyone on the team will step up and handle the challenge.
“Everyone contributed and we relied on a lot of different players in a lot of different spots,” Montanye said. “The depth that we have in this squad is really strong and I think that’ll carry us a long way.”
The Warhawks now have a stretch of road matches before returning home to Robert Fiskum Field Sept. 20 to face Cornell and celebrate their seniors on senior day.
