Sometimes having a target on your back propels you forward. For Seattle U women’s soccer, the pressure to repeat their conference championship in 2014 after winning their first in 2013 was a lofty goal but one they knew they were capable of.
“I’d say there was pressure, but it was pressure we put on ourselves,” said Kiana Kraft. “We expected to be the repeat champions and we worked for it.”
Natasha Howe agrees, “I think the pressure was in a different light. I remember when we went to the NCAA Tournament the first time, we kind of expected to lose and this year, we knew we could do it.”
Not only did the Redhawks win two consecutive Western Athletic Conference tournaments, they went 20-1-1 in conference play along the way over the past two seasons, the start of a dominant dynasty. Winning at the highest level has not become just a goal, but a reality.
“The first time, we were just happy to be there since it was somewhat unexpected, and this year, we expected to win,” Kelly Beck said, resolutely.
The program has cultivated a championship culture, passed down by each year’s senior class, a large feat with 12 freshmen in 2014.
“We had to have a new level of chemistry off the field, on the field, and the amount of effort everyone put in, not just in their on the field skills but into personal relationships, really is special to think about,” Stephanie Verdoia remembers with a smile.
“I know it’s something that’s cultivated by our coaches, our staff, everyone around us at Seattle U, so I’m confident that atmosphere will be able to be duplicated. Each year, the seniors will be able to teach that to the younger girls, and our program is just going to grow, so that’s really special to be a part of it.”
All the extra work and team bonding paid off as Seattle U not only won their second straight WAC championship but added another “first” for the program – winning their first round game of the NCAA tournament at No. 23 Washington State.
Under the lights with a temperature between freezing and zero, the Redhawks played a game more akin to ice skating than soccer.
“We had to change how we played the game and just be aware of people slipping all the time,” Howe remembered. “It took a toll on our bodies, but I think we definitely put in a lot of effort and just kept going.”
An understatement, to say the least.
“I remember warming up and listening to the national anthem and besides the fact it was a really long national anthem, we were all freezing,” Verdoia looked back on what she called one her favorite games in college. “We didn’t know what was going to come but we all had a good feeling was the funny part.”
After Verdoia scored early, the Cougars tied it up late in regulation and after nearly two overtimes, it looked like the game may be decided in penalty kicks.
“After they scored, there was probably like five minutes where I was terrified it was going to go into PK’s, but I thought ‘We deserve this game, this can’t happen, this CAN’T happen’”, Verdoia continued.
Head coach Julie Woodward’s daughter had had a premonition that the team would win in overtime, something she would not share with the team until later, but she and associate head coach Rich Schreiner were confident in the Redhawks’ ability to finish the game.
“It was a whole team effort,” Beck confessed. “There were multiple times I was yelling at [Kiana] and she was yelling at me like ‘Just keep going, don’t stop, don’t stop!’”
Kraft agreed, “I knew that we were going to come back and win it because we had played better than them and then [Natasha] comes up biiiiiig”.
Big indeed. Less than two minutes until the end of double overtime, Howe dribbled past the Washington State backline and sailed the winning goal into the net.
“I mostly remember thinking after I passed the last girl like ‘Whoa, I beat her’,” Howe admits, “and then I’m like ‘Now I have to make this, last chance, better make it’. And fortunately it went in. That’s all I remember from it and then everyone tackling me, and that’s it.”
“And then I thought she was going to die on the bottom of that pile,” Beck said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Rich and Julie that excited,” Kraft remembered with a smile.
Beck chimed in, “It was crazy.”
The magical ride wasn’t over for the Redhawks. Next up, No. 18 South Carolina in the round of 32 at Chapel Hill, N.C.’s storied Fetzer Field. The mecca of women’s college soccer, so to speak, the University of North Carolina.
“I still get goosebumps thinking back to that game and I think I always will,” Kraft said. “I think that’s a game I’ll never forget in life and my soccer career. It’s something I always think about, because it was just such a neat experience.”
Already defying the odds with a first round win, outsiders would’ve expected the Gamecocks to win handily but the Redhawks didn’t go down without a fight.
Howe looks back, “I definitely remember after five minutes playing with them, I’m like ‘Wait, we can play with them’. I think it was kind of another experience where we went a step further [than previously] and we were just happy to be there but five minutes in, it switched and I’m just like ‘Wow, we’re as good as them if not better’.”
“I did the same thing,” Beck agreed. “Because I remember I was super nervous going into it, just the normal jitters, and then I’m like ‘Alright we can do this’ and then after five minutes, I’m like ‘No, we really CAN do this’.”
Not the intended result, South Carolina ultimately moved on in a close penalty kick battle after 110 minutes of scoreless soccer.
“That was a rough one, because we obviously competed, I would say, better than a lot of people expected us to. And we had some really good chances, so losing in PK’s is tough. But traveling to North Carolina with the team was so fun and just being a part of the NCAA experience. It was a new level for our team and I think that level is going to continue even after this year,” Verdoia hopes.
Despite the result, the national exposure introduced those who were otherwise unfamiliar to Seattle U, with benefits both athletically and academically.
“People were probably like ‘Who’s Seattle U?’ and then they look it up, so it’s cool to get our name out there.”
The support across campus, inside and outside the athletics department, is not lost on them and is a cause for extreme gratitude.
“I had a professor email me, because they were in class while we had our game, and she said she had watched the stats and she ‘watched’ [Natasha’s] goal,” Beck beamed. “She said ‘I watched the goal’ and she didn’t have the live stream but she had the stats up while all my friends were in class. So I thought it was cool that not only athletics, but everyone was excited.”
Kraft seconded, “I feel like the community here is different than other schools. And I feel like at other schools, teams might be jealous or envious of teams that are doing better than them but everyone here is 100% behind you and your team and they want you to do well to get that Seattle U name out there.”
After the past two years, the Redhawks are determined to win their third consecutive WAC title and advance further and deeper into the national tournament.
“It’s not even an option. I believe there is no way. With our senior class, I don’t think there’s a way we would allow us not to get there,” Beck resolved. “Our motivation and determination is enough that we can beat any team to get back to the NCAA tournament.”
Kraft summed up, “It’s an expectation”.