Editor’s Note: This story has been edited to add updated information to the story. The scores of the team’s last two games as well as their current record and the date of the next game have been added to the bottom of this piece.
The College of DuPage women’s soccer team played their first home game of the season on Aug. 27. COD trailed by four going into the second half against Governors State’s varsity team, but at the 60-minute mark, the Jaguars fielded their JV team. The Chaparrals managed to score three goals, but the game ended 6-3, leaving them with a 0-2 record.*
Head women’s soccer coach Matt Hanna said the roster mixup with Governors State was brought on by coaching issues, and while the team wasn’t expecting to face that level of play, he’s still proud of how they handled it.
“I try to focus on what we can control,” Hanna said. “The opposition doesn’t matter. We want to try and play our style, and at the end of the day, we didn’t really play our style for a good 30 minutes there. While it probably would’ve been a bit more competitive if we didn’t have the varsity team there, at the end of the day I probably would’ve kept the messaging the same.”
Freshman forward Anna Odisho scored two goals off of penalty kicks. She made the first goal with 27:42 left in the second half and the second one with 0:06 left.
“[Penalty kicks] are usually free goals,” Odisho said. “I had a job to do stepping up to the plate. I just wanted to put [the ball] in the net to get back at the other team for scoring so much on us.”
Freshman goalkeeper Caitlin Yurkovich made 10 saves and allowed six goals on 16 shots on goal.
“It was hard because a lot of their goals and shots were on breakaways,” Yurkovich said. “I just tried to hold my ground and cover as much of the net as possible. [I] blocked off their angles so they couldn’t see the net as well, which made it harder for them to score.”
Freshman forward Sabrina Cox scored the second goal of the game for the Chaps with 11:19 left in the second half. Freshman Kennedy Vannoy picked up the assist.
“I just saw my chance when the goalie came out to make a move around her,” Cox said. “Then I just put it in the back of the goal.”
Freshman back Joli Weigandt received a yellow card at the 70-minute mark. She said she was given the yellow card due to the nature of the game.
“I didn’t say anything to the yellow card,” Weigandt said. “The foul that I got carded off of, was not a foul, and I’m a little bit mad about that. [Governors State] was a very tough team and [they had] tough girls so things got a little handsy, but that’s how it is. I don’t mind, as long as I’m still in for the next game.”
*The Chaparrals won their first game of the season against the Bryant & Stratton College Bobcats 12-1. Freshman forward Anna Odisho led the team with five goals, freshmen Kennedy Vannoy and Veronica Helma scored three goals each and freshman back Joli Weigandt scored one goal. COD fell to the Waubonsee Community College Chiefs 0-5. Their record on the season is 1-3, and they take on the South Suburban College Bulldogs at 5 p.m. on Sept. 6 in South Holland, IL.