On Sept. 13, it was announced that NSU’s Women’s soccer team was ranked 21st in the nation. When junior defender, Shelby Wright heard the news, she admitted it was a pleasant surprise.
“I wasn’t really expecting that. Honestly, the news just kind of popped up, and we got really excited, but we didn’t want to get big heads [and] big egos about that because that’s not what we play for. We play for us, and [we play] to get another conference ring,” said Wright.
However, after suffering their only loss of the season on Sept. 16, the team dropped from the Top 25. Head coach, Mike Goodrich hopes the team was able to learn from the loss.
“[They] put in the same hard effort that they’ve done all year long. But we played very individualistic and actually had to work harder for a more negative result. So, hopefully that’s the lesson they learned,” said Goodrich.
The team has a record of (6-1-1) and is averaging four goals per game. Goodrich believes when the team plays unselfishly they are better able to create goal scoring opportunities. Wright feels the offense has always been there, but it’s especially dangerous this season.
“I think we’ve always had the offense, [but] we’re all on the same page this year. We’ve connected better and team chemistry all-around has been better,” said Wright.
Their first conference match was on Sept. 21 against Florida Southern, and it resulted in a draw. Wright said it was the tough match the team expected. Despite not winning the game, Goodrich was pleased with how the team played.
“They played as a team, which was good to see. I think they did the things that are necessary to win conference games: defend well, [have a] high work-rate, [and] play as a unit,” said Goodrich.
Wright is confident the team will be back in the Top 25. She said, “I think we will [be back in the Top 25], just had that minor bump in the road, but we’re back on track, and we’ll pick it back up.”
