by Aidan Shelton

After a standout regular season where the Lumberjacks broke the school record in consecutive shutouts, women’s soccer continued their season in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships Soccer Tournament. Going into the tournament ranked fifth, the Jacks had to play against number four ranked Cal State San Bernardino in the first round for the chance to play reigning National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champions Cal Poly Pomona in the semifinals. 

When the first round match was surprisingly postponed from Sunday, Nov. 9 to Monday, Nov. 10 due to an early sunset, the Jacks played San Bernardino to double overtime and despite a combined 39 shots, the score remained 0-0 after a 110 minute game. Going to penalty kicks (PK), the Jacks came out on top winning the PK shootout 4-2. 

“We were all very tired from playing two overtimes and it was super hot during our game,” defender Josie Wolitzky said. “I went in a little exhausted, but we all kind of knew that it was just something that we had to get done to keep going on and we spent a lot of time practicing PK’s too, so I think that helped people just be prepared for what was happening. But it’s something that we all really wanted and I think something that we deserved after that game.”

Heading into the semifinal against Cal Poly Pomona, the top seed and defending NCAA champion, the Jacks got a bit of a motivation boost when freshman midfielder Karsyn Ross was selected for the All-CCAA Second Team. In addition, Forward Heidie Munoz, defenders Josie Wolitzky and Kyla Okamoto and goalkeeper Carson Thomsom-Terrel earned All-CCAA Honorable Mentions. Going into an uphill battle against the tournament favorites, it was key that the Jacks focused on playing their own game instead of planning their game based on Pomona. Considering their previous match was a 2-2 tie where Pomona only scored off of penalty kicks, coming out on top wasn’t out of the picture for the Jacks.

“We all know how good of a team we are and how good we can be,” Wolitzky said. “We talked about it like, ‘yes we know Pomona is a good team,’ but there’s no reason to fear them.”

On Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m., the Jacks competed against their Cal Poly rival for a spot in the championship match. After a scoreless first half, Humboldt’s Nicole Beauchemin was able to score over a five-woman wall off of a brilliant free kick 36 minutes into the second half, recording her first goal of her collegiate career. Pomona was unable to respond with a goal of their own and when the whistle blew, the Jacks punched their ticket to the championships for the first time in women’s soccer program history against Chico State, Humboldt’s historic rival. The Jacks fought the Chico Wildcats to a 3-3 in the last game of the regular season and were eager for the chance for a rematch.

“There was a lot going on — the crowd’s very loud, the lights are shining, everyone’s yelling at you what to do,” Beauchemin said. “But me and my teammate Blue were on the ball, and she gave me the confidence to just shoot it, and so I did.”

The whistle was blown to start the final match of the tournament on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 3 p.m. and within 90 minutes a champion was crowned. The first half concluded as a hard fought stalemate — despite 16 combined shots, the scoreboard remained empty. However, 74 minutes into the game, the momentum began to shift in the Jacks’ favor. Senior Alexis Blue was able to capitalize off of an opportunity from Munoz and put the ball in the back of the net. With only 15 minutes left in the match, Chico failed to get a goal of their own and the final whistle declared Humboldt champions. Overcoming the obstacles facing them, Head Coach Grant Landy was exceedingly impressed with his team but wants to remain focused on what lies ahead. The Jacks will continue their postseason journey at the NCAA D2 Women’s Soccer Championship, rematching Cal Poly Pomona in the first round on Friday, Nov. 21 at 3:00 P.M.

“We’re off to the national tournament for the first time in I think over 20 years, and so we’re gonna put our best foot forward in this environment,” Landy said. “We’ll worry about the future after this weekend.”

This season’s women’s soccer team fully embodied the classic saying, “offense wins games, defense wins championships.” Their defensive line was able to stonewall any attempts to score on the Jacks and when their offense got a goal in, Humboldt’s defense was able to shut down any attempts to equalize the score and retain the lead. Not only did the Jacks make history by winning the CCAA tournament for the first time, they did it in style. In a dominant fashion, they didn’t allow any opposing team to score a single goal on them throughout the entire tournament. 

Aidan Shelton is a journalism major with a minor in environmental ethics and the Sports Editor of the Lumberjack. A writer, sprinter and Arcata local, he understands what gives Humboldt its identity and wants to see it flourish. He hopes to encapsulate the uniqueness and diversity of Humboldt sports in his work. In his free time he enjoys being outdoors, going to the gym and travelling. For any sports inquiries contact azs10@humboldt.edu.