The College of DuPage women’s soccer team failed to come back from a 2-1 deficit on Saturday against Madison College to finish the regular season with a record of 5-10-1. With five sophomores in this year’s chaparral squad, the Chaparrals celebrated their contributions to COD both on and off the field.
Despite the loss, head women’s head coach Matt Hannah was proud of his team after the game and reflected on this year’s sophomores’ departure.
“All of our sophomores have really helped the program by being outstanding players and people,” head women’s soccer coach Matt Hanna said. “They [sophomores] will be missed. It’s always tough having to rotate your squad every year, and you create a bond with the players and then have to move on every two years. I wish them the best, and I’m excited to see what’s next for them.”
After the match, sophomore Hallie Meachum looked back at her COD athletic career and her future plans after this season.
“We were doing super well in the first half and started falling apart in the second half,” said Meachum. “This year will be my last season playing soccer, so it is sad to say goodbye, but I had a lot of fun this season. I am super proud of my teammates this season, and we have come a long way [since the beginning of the season]. After this season, I plan on being a firefighter paramedic.”
The Chaparrals set the tone early in the first half after freshman winger Kim Martinez scored off a counterattack to give COD a 1-0. With the help of a deep pass from sophomore Anna Odisho, Martinez was able to dribble straight toward the penalty box and set up a shot to put the ball in the back of the net.
“I felt really happy [after scoring my goal] because I got to play another game with the sophomores and that’s who I was doing it for,” said Martinez.
Despite falling short of a comeback, sophomore Odisho finished the night with an assist and reflected on her team’s improvement throughout the season and her career at COD after playing her final regular season game.
“As a team, this season we had a lot to work on and I think we have been getting better, improving, and finally finding our groove,” said Odisho. “Even though we lost today, the end of the season has been our strongest, and we are finally working together to figure out our strengths. I do plan on playing soccer after this season, but as of right now, I am not sure where.
Despite scoring early in the first half, COD’s momentum shut down after the WolfPack scored only four minutes into the second half to tie the game at 1-1.
Throughout the second half, the Chaparrals could not find their offensive rhythm, which resulted in COD having zero shots and only two corners in the half.
With 23 minutes left in the game, sophomore Elizabeth Cervantes attempted a slide tackle in the penalty box, which led to a Madison player falling to the ground to give the WolfPack a penalty after a hard foul in the box. The successful penalty attempt gave the WolfPack momentum and led them to finish the game with a 2-1 win over COD.
The Chaparrals will end the regular season with a record of 5-10-1 and await their opponent to compete in the NJCAA Region IV Tourney, which is set to start on Oct. 26.
