SEASON RECAP: A Multitude of Positives Abound Despite Tough Season for Clipper Women’s Soccer

December 5, 2024

There is no sugar coating the fact that this season for the Clipper Women's Soccer team was a challenging one. The team went the season notching only one win, finishing the season with a record of 1-15 and going 0-12 in conference games. Despite the rough sailing for the women, there are positives that can be taken away from this season and applied to next season.

Head Coach Lee Baker, who is in his first season at the helm of the women's team after being an assistant for two years, noted the positives from the team. "I think there was a lot of growth from the start of the season to the end of the season," said Baker. "We started off playing as individuals and as the time went by the team really started playing as a unit and the bond with each other became much stronger. We became way more competitive in the higher-level games than when we started."

Coach Baker's words echo true as one looks at the results of the Clipper's Women's Soccer team this season and sees blowout defeats by scores of 6-1, 8-0, and 7-0. But when you look at score lines near the end of the season, one can see that stronger chemistry in backline and midfield helped hold off opposing scoring to 3-0 and 4-1 defeats.

As the team built chemistry and confidence with one another this season, there were individual athletes that really came into their own this year.

One such player is Sophomore Midfielder Kami Oliveira, who finished tied with two other players for the team lead in goals. Baker had big praise for her, saying, "The step for Kami Oliveira from last year to this year was huge. She was definitely our main player; she played every single match, the whole 90 minutes. She had two goals and she contributed to most of them as well."

"It's was definitely a work in progress; we definitely had our ups and downs. But it was fun to overcome some challenges. The teams in our conference are really good and it was a battle [every game], but we had fun playing together," said Oliveira when asked about her thoughts about the season.

Oliveira also mentioned the growth in her game, on the field and as a leader. "As a freshman, I definitely was very quiet and timid. I definitely didn't put in as much input as I did this year. I came out of my shell a lot more and I had a lot more confidence to give my input."

Coach Baker also shouted out Freshman Midfielder Crystal Carriedo as an athlete who really got things going on the offensive side of the ball. "A freshman that shined this year was Crystal Carriedo, [who] came all the way from Florida. She is really good, really technical on the ball. She scored the game-winner in the game against Umpqua early on in the year, which was a really big moment for us."

Assistant Coach Jamie Olsen also gave praise to a player who really helped establish the cohesion in the midfield. "Gabby [Gabriela Paniagua] in our midfield stepped up significantly to relay communication from the defense to our forwards. She consistently had a positive attitude and always treated those around her fairly," said Olsen.

Lastly, two stalwart athletes received the recognition of being named to the NWAC All-Star Team for 2024. Sophomore Goalkeeper Jenna Browse and Freshman Defender Samantha Spencer were named to the Second Team All-Star squad for the West Region for their tremendous efforts on the defensive side of the ball.

Overall, this season might not have been what the coaching staff would have liked to see results-wise from the team. The coaching staff just finished their first season together, which was a shorter season altogether for them considering that Baker only came on officially as head coach just a month before the start of the season. But the staff didn't use that as an excuse, as they battled through a difficult season and have since learned a lot to shape those positives they saw from the athletes this season into positive results next season.

"The coaching staff learned which drills and practice styles challenged the players to grow their skills. We learned more effective communication styles between the coaches and players. Moving forward to next season, we will be focusing on recruiting well-rounded players that not only strive to perform on the field, but also as a student at SPSCC and a part of this community," said Olsen about what she learned from this season's experiences.

"I learned that the NWAC is really tough," revealed Baker. "It takes a 12-month effort to be successful here and three months isn't enough time to be ready. So, getting a program that starts early on, getting the girls ready physically, mentally, and technically on the first day is what we are going to need to do to be successful."