Cedars, September 2019

September 2019 14 SPORTS Women’s Soccer Looks to Returning Players in 2019 by Abby Hintz T he Cedarville women’s soccer team is coming into 2019 with a mature squad that aims to have a dom- inant season despite a tough schedule. The Lady Jackets are coming into the season with high expectations after suffering a quick tournament exit and an overall medi- ocre season last year. The Jackets open their season against two preseason top-25 teams and two that have made appearances in the national tournament. Head coach Jonathan Meade said the team’s first two weeks hold “no fluff.” Conference play will prove to be just as challenging for the team. The G-MAC preseason poll ranked Walsh, Findlay and Trevecca at the top three spots respectively. Cedarville found itself ranked fifth in the poll, but Meade and his team recognize that anyone in the conference could pull off a win on any night. “We definitely keep an eye on anyone that’s up next,” he said. “On any given day, if you show up and you’re look- ing past anybody you can for sure get beat.” After those first four non-conference games, the rest of the Jackets’ season is against G-MAC opponents. Meade is looking to improve the team’s attacking from a year ago. The Jackets played eight games that were decid- ed by one goal last year, and they only won three of those eight games. The team is also looking to build on defensive focus- es they developed last year to become a more well-rounded team. Meade put it simply, saying, “We need to score more goals.” This is doable because the team is made up of only eight new players. Led by four seniors and numerous other returners, they avoid the struggle of rebuilding a new team. For the most part, they are simply building on skills learned last season. This 2019 roster will be led especially by the four se- niors, Hannah Atkinson, Emma Conway, Allison Garlock and Bex Velloney. The Jackets will also look to sophomore forward Olivia Hoffman to continue her impressive cam- paign, as well as junior defender Delight Williams. Atkinson led the team last season, starting in every game and scoring nine goals. The forward had a quality shot percentage of .231. Garlock will look to lead the defense again this year, building on her impressive performance last season in which she had 42 saves and only allowed 14 goals. Hoffman saw time in all games last season, contributing four goals and two assists. Atkinson said she is encouraged by how preseason played out. She said her team is putting an emphasis on tak- ing their communication and level of play to the next level considering they have so many upperclassmen. “We’re really excited for this team,” she said. “I think the team just feels really connected, really united this year, so that’s super exciting. We have a lot more returners then we’ve had in previous years.” The Lady Jackets are hoping to give fans an exciting, experience with their performance on the pitch. Meade said, “I hope that [fans] will see a fun and at- tractive style of play that’s exciting to watch, and that they can come out and watch a team that is playing with integrity and a team that is not like every other team that they might see out there competing.” This season and this team in particular hold some sen- timental value for Meade. Meade’s first season with the Jackets was also the first season for the now seniors on the team. “There’s that special bond of the fact that I was a fresh- man myself when [the seniors] were freshmen in this pro- gram, and so it’s been nice over the past three years getting to know them better and seeing them grow,” said Meade. “For this year, I want to see them all stay healthy. I want to see them all compete at a high level. When they’re done, I just want them to feel like, ‘I put my very best into this last season and I have no regrets.’” Meade has found success in his first three seasons with the Jackets, with a record of 27-24-3. The Jackets have appeared in the G-MAC Tournament every year un- der Meade, and they will look to continue that in the 2019 season. Jackets fans will have eight chances to see their team at home this season. Some must-see games include Oct. 5 vs. Alderson Broaddus, which is the homecoming game, and Nov. 2 vs. Kentucky Wesleyan, which is Senior Day. The Lady Jackets also host two-time defending G-MAC champi- on Ohio Valley on Oct. 3. Abigail Hintz is a sophomore Journalism major and Digi- tal Editor for Cedars. She loves reading, playing Spikeball with her friends and watching soccer 24/7. Photo by Scott Huck This year’s women’s soccer team is led by Coach Jonathan Meade and features four seniors. Photo by Carrie Bergan The team gathers around Coach Meade before practice.