After losing to Western Carolina in the past three showdowns, the Samford Women’s Soccer Team beat the Catamounts, claiming the Southern Conference Champion title.
“If we put our minds to it, we can do anything,” said Martha Bishop, a sophomore player on the Samford Women’s Soccer Team.
This win marks the eighth Southern Conference Championship win for the Bulldogs. This win also ensured their invitation to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time as well.
Becoming SoCon Champions was a hard-fought win for the team as the regular season had many ups and downs.
With the motivation to beat Western Carolina, the SoCon Champions from 2023, the team rallied to play them in the championship.
“We lost to them last year and wanted to take that back,” Bishop said.
As Ella Simpson scored the game winning goal, Bishop said the moment was “incredible.”
They all ran and dog-piled in the middle of the field as they realized that they had just secured the SoCon Champion title.
“I don’t think I could stop smiling,” Bishop said.
This win was the culmination of every early morning workout and all the hard work they put in this season, Bishop said.
“If you told me we could have been SoCon Champions I would have been surprised,” said Anne Metz, the Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach.
As a team, Bishop believes that their chemistry is one of the reasons they played so well.
“We put others before ourselves and lift each other up.”
Metz even saw how the team’s love for each other “infiltrated on the field.”
The seniors set high standards for the team this year. Although cliché, Bishop would say, “there is no I in team.”
The team has been working towards this championship since the beginning of July, when they started practice.
According to Bishop, the coaching staff really cares about and encourages the team. They can tell that the coaches want the best for them, and to be the best they can be.
Punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament meant playing the number one seed, Florida State University.
The Seminoles scored eight goals against the Samford Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Florida State, being number 6 in the NCAA ranking for division one women’s soccer, was a hard-fought match for Samford.
Regardless of the NCAA Tournament, the women’s soccer team put up a good fight this year for the title of the SoCon Champions.
“I realized how much we needed this,” said Bishop after winning the SoCon Champions title.
Staff Writer
