It’s that time of the year again for college students. Fall break has just ended. The weather is getting colder and more dreary.
If there are any students on campus who have a reason to feel more upbeat than the rest of us right now, it’s the student athletes on the fall sports teams.
The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournaments for these sports are less than two weeks away, and Webster teams are hitting their stride at the right time.
The Webster men’s and women’s soccer teams, along with the volleyball team, have collectively gone 20-6 in the month of October. It’s been even more impressive over the last two weeks, as they’ve combined for a 14-2 record.
The men’s and women’s soccer teams and the volleyball team have each suffered only one conference loss all season.
First-place finishes for all three of those teams is not out of the question. It’s actually quite plausible. The men’s and women’s cross-country teams head into the SLIAC championships this weekend. The women’s squad looks to repeat as SLIAC champs, while the men’s team looks for its best finish ever at a conference meet.
The women’s soccer team currently resides in a three-way tie for first place in the SLIAC (tied with Principia College and Fontbonne University) after falling to Fontbonne 1-0 in overtime on Tuesday, Oct. 23. The Gorloks have one game remaining, against the current fourth-place team, Greenville College.
The Gorloks have outscored opponents this season 58-10, allowing only two goals since Sept. 28, while averaging 21 shots per game on the season (their swarming defense has allowed only 8.4 per game).
When those rare shots do occur, goalie Jessica Davis has been there to stop them. She’s started every game for the Gorloks, allowing 0.56 goals per game and shutting out the opponent 10 times, including seven of her last nine games.
The men’s soccer team has been nearly as dominant. The Gorloks currently are first place in the SLIAC with one game to play against Greenville, who resides in second place. After starting the season 3-4-1, they’ve now won seven of their last eight games. During that streak, they’ve outscored opponents 21-2.
The volleyball team is the only one of these three currently not in first place, as are a half -game behind Greenville for that distinction. Nonetheless, they have been downright dominant in the SLIAC since their loss to Greenville in mid-September.
The team has won 11 straight conference matches. If that wasn’t impressive enough, the Gorloks also shut out their opponents during this stretch, winning 33 straight sets in SLIAC play.
They still have six matches to play, including two against SLIAC opponents. Winning those two conference matches would ensure a first-place tie with Greenville for the season.
With less than two weeks to go, these coaches and athletes have all the reason to be upbeat and motivated.
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