Opening Weekend

by Kaitlyn Yule '10 (nursing major from Raleigh, NC)

The long Labor Day weekend is always a welcome little break after the first couple weeks of classes. And this years Labor Day weekend was no exception. This year it was not only a long weekend but it was also the annual Case Classic and team family picnic. This year’s picnic was probably the best turn out yet. Family members from all across the country joined at Case to support our women’s soccer team. My parents were among the many out-of-towners who made the trip to Cleveland in support of our women’s soccer team. This picnic is something I look forward to every year, not just because of the wide variety of amazing homemade food, but also because of the atmosphere that’s created. It’s such a great feeling to know you’re surrounded by people who are all their in support of you and the team you put so much time and effort into. Playing at a collegiate level it’s hard to get such a supportive fan base at every game so weekends like this one are a big deal to us.

Our first game on Saturday was a night game under the lights with tons of fans against Buffalo State. Having never played this team before we didn’t really know what to expect. It’s not far from the truth to say that with all the events of the day prior to our game we may not have been as ready as we should have been to play them. Starting out the first half flat, we ended up tying the game 1-1 at the end of regulation and having to go into overtime to try determine a winner. But unfortunately, after two ten minute sudden death periods there was still no winner so the game ended in a 1-1 tie. It was a hard game to walk away from, we knew we should have beat that team and to have it end in a tie didn’t sit well with anyone.

Exhausted from Saturday’s game and the extra twenty minutes we played, we were all a little tired on Sunday. But despite our fatigue we knew we had to pull out a win, it was not an option. At the end of the first half the game was scoreless and I was starting to get nervous, we needed to put shots in the back of the net and soon. So we went out the second half and started scoring. I got my first goal of the season and was beyond excited. As a forward I put a lot of pressure on myself to be the finisher this team needs and when I don’t score goals I feel like I’ve let my teammates down. Not even ten minutes after I scored Ana, our go to Brazilian, put another one in the back of the net. Her goal was from twenty yards out, and of course in typical Ana style was some sort of over the head volley which dropped right under the cross bar. Then finally, the best was saved for last. Steph Chinchen put in the third and final goal off an assist from Sammy Sarett; this was the goal that made the bench go wild.

Needless to say, this may not have been the most glorious win but it was just what our team needed. We now have one win under our belt and want to use this as momentum to carry us through this upcoming weekend at John Carroll. It’s still early in the season and we still have a lot of work to do but I am confident that if this team stays dedicated and continues to work hard and push one another we will be able to achieve far greater success than in any years past.