Women’s soccer breaks even in Oklahoma

Sophomore defender Sandra Thiman plays against Hill College on Sunday, Aug. 25. Thiman scored the game winning goal. Cat Gonzales

Raymond Hoare
Student Sports Media

The women’s soccer team traveled south for the weekend for two non-conference matches against Seminole State (Oklahoma) and No. 19 Hill (Texas) in Noble, Oklahoma.

The Grizzlies were seeking a 3-0 start to the season, but Seminole State spoiled the perfect beginning as freshman midfielder Amaya Grace would nail a late penalty kick in the final five minutes of the game, giving Seminole State a 1-0 upset win on Saturday, Aug. 24.

“We played a very motivated Seminole State,” Head Coach Adam Hunter said. “They presented some challenges for us, [so] we had to change our formation at halftime… We lost to a team that was better than us on the day.”

It was a new day for the Grizzlies as they faced a No. 19 Hill (Texas) on Sunday, Aug. 25. These two-teams met last year in Texas for the Plains District title, and Hill was looking for revenge. Both teams started off strong, but the Grizzlies had the edge early on. In the 16th minute, freshman midfielder Rachel Wolecki took a shot from deep from the left side, to give the Grizzlies an early lead in the game. Five minutes after Wolecki’s goal, freshman forward Jami Anderson pushed her way through the Grizzlies back line and tap the ball in for the equaling goal.

In the 73rd minute, the Grizzlies were awarded a free kick. Wolecki arched a ball into the box as sophomore defender Sandra Thiman headed the ball in for the goal. Butler held onto the 2-1 lead, defeating Hill once again.

“We went back on the drawing board, changed a few things in our formation again and we were able to a 2-1 result against a top 20 team.” Hunter said. “You look at the body of work, three games in four days is a big ask to play… for us to do what we did on Sunday, speaks volumes about what this team might be able to do this fall.”

The first week of the soccer season is now in the books and Butler is 2-1. The Grizzlies have a week off as they faced off against No. 5 Navarro on Saturday, Aug. 31 and faced another familiar opponent, the No. 7 Lewis and Clark Trailblazers on Monday, Sept. 2 at Stryker Stadium in Wichita.