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Sophomore Alexis Lothamer throws the ball back into play during Saturday’s Homecoming contest against Kalamazoo College. The Oct. 3 contest resulted in a 2-0 win for the Comets.
Courtesy photo
The Olivet College women’s soccerteam is turning heads by starting the season off with an 8-3 record and a third-place standing in the MIAA – a feat that hasn’t been done in a long time.
“Being 8-3 feels really great, (and) it’s nice seeing all of our hard work pay off,” sophomore soccer player Emily Reinecke said. “We have even higher goals for the rest of the season, and I am excited to see what we can accomplish!”
With the team being held to a higher standard this season, every day they are continuing to raise the bar for themselves.
“The team responded well to the change in coaching staff and Kim (McGowan) does a great job challenging the girls to get better each and every day we take the field,” assistant coach Tara Leach ‘14 said.
“It’s a whole new attitude for us this season because of our work ethic and commitment; we know we can win big games this year and that’s exactly what we are doing. It’s so rewarding to see hard work pay off and we’re going to keep pushing to get better and better so we can make it to the MIAA tournament, which hasn’t been done since 2010,” Leach said.
The program’s growth has been evident, as the team, parents and fans have enjoyed watching the change throughout the season.
“It’s very cool to see my old teammates going in the direction that they have always strived to go in. It’s great to see a Cinderella story,” senior Alexis Nichols said.
The last time the team had more than seven wins was in 2010.
“The team has been working extremely hard this season, and it’s paying off with our results on the field,” Comets’ coach Kim McGowan said. “I have brought a new standard to the program that the girls have now take on. We compete and work hard everyday, and I like to say we have some fun doing both.”