Over the Halloween weekend, both the women’s and men’s club soccer teams made the 8.5-hour drive to Omaha, Neb., to compete in regionals.
“The opportunity to compete with some of these big schools … is really cool,” said Lauren Albright ‘29. “It’s not every day that you can be on a club team and then say, oh, yeah, I’m playing Arizona State.”
Meanwhile, the men’s team hoped to make a statement. Playing against large universities and club programs, CC has competed successfully in regional and national tournaments in past years.
“You know, we got something to prove out here,” Bogardus said. “We’re going to be the smallest school out here.”
For Landon McLean, junior captain, the weekend represented the team’s grit and dedication.
“One of my main goals on this team is to get us to regionals,” said McLean. “So I’m really happy that we finally accomplished that this year.”
And they did just that.
While the women’s team lost all three of their games, they made history by being at the tournament. It was the first time the women’s team had ever gone to regionals. In a bracket against Arizona State University (ASU), Colorado State and University of Minnesota, schools with higher rankings and enrollment ranging from 34,000 to 114,000, the team put up a goal in every match.
“It was a great fight,” June Lawrence ‘29 said. “We did get better at each game.”
Game highlights included Lawrence’s goal against ASU, Rowan Daly ‘29 scoring off a free kick in game two and a shutout in the second half of their last game against Minnesota.
The men made it to the final game in the bracket against Arizona State University, with a wild upper-right-corner goal by Hyunsoo Kim ‘29 in the last 20 minutes of the game and a strong defensive performance from both Theo Cherry ‘26 and goalie Charlie DeAlessi ’28, who shared ownership of the game ball.
“Making it to the final match in regionals is an amazing achievement, as a school who has 2,200 student enrollment compared to the 183,000 of ASU,” Theo Casper ‘28 said.
Both teams made it a priority to cheer each other on. The two teams attended the majority of each other’s games despite the chilly temperatures.
“Both the women’s and men’s teams showed up for each other throughout the tournament,” McLean said.
The battle went down on the field, but it took a lot to get there. Since club soccer is not a varsity sport, teams have to raise the funds to attend tournaments like these.
While 70% of post-season tournament costs are provided by CC, Combs noted that extra costs like transportation, food and board were all self-paid or fundraised.
While the official season comes to an end, both teams are looking toward the future with greater expectations.
“There’s a lot of talent on our team and we’re just beginning to tap into it,” Casper said.
“[I’m] incredibly proud of the work our guys put in and what we were able to achieve this fall,” said Captain Leo Priesman ‘26. “[I hope] that this year can be the benchmark for the future of the club.”
McLean’s goal going forward is for the team to qualify for the national tournament, something the club has never done before.
“As a freshman, you come in without knowing anyone and you start playing with people and have to adjust very quickly…so I think with more time playing with everyone, we’ll have a better chance next year,” said Lawrence.
The 12-person freshman class of the women’s club scored three of the team’s five tournament goals, and in the words of a member of this talented class, Molly Luikart ‘29, “The future’s so bright, you gotta wear shades, babe.”