The American University women’s soccer team is off to their hottest start in years. With a 4-1-1 record, the Eagles have already surpassed their total wins from each of their past two seasons.
With construction underway on AU’s new Meltzer Center, both of American’s soccer teams have had to adjust to playing their home games at Maryland Soccerplex in Boyds, Maryland for the 2024 season while Reeves Field undergoes renovations.
The Eagles’ season started off slow, with a 1-1 draw against George Washington University, where sophomore defender Bella Vozar scored her first career goal. The Eagles then failed to score in a 0-1 loss to the Virginia Military Institute after conceding a penalty kick.
Despite the trouble of putting accurate shots on goal in the first two games, AU’s defense was a strong presence on the field. The starting five defenders were consistent with Vozar, senior Giuliana Capraro, junior Amélie Kovacevic, junior Phoebe Merrigan and senior Bella Miller.
Without a win in their opening stretch, American took on the University of Maryland Terrapins on Aug. 22. They shut out the Terrapins and dominated the second half in a 2-0 upset victory.
“It was a trademark win for the program,” head coach Marsha Harper said.
The team’s mentality and confidence were key components in their win, according to Harper. While she acknowledged that it was a historic victory for AU women’s soccer — it was the second-ever win by the Eagles’ women's soccer team against a Big Ten opponent since 1999— she said they treat every opponent the same.
“They view games in terms of numbers,” Harper said, rather than who the opponent is, and this was just game number three of their season.
Their performance against Maryland was exactly what the team needed to get their win streak going.
The Eagles took on Binghamton University next in their first home game of the season.
Freshman goalkeeper Addison Roemer made two saves in the game against the Bearcats to preserve the shutout, while midfielder-defender Merrigan and sophomore forward Lailah Stewart both scored their first goals of the season.
“I was glad I finally got a goal in,” Stewart said in a post-game interview with AU Athletics’ Ryan Piers. “Two good wins, two on the year, just hoping to keep it going forward.”
The Eagles did keep the momentum going forward, battling out a 3-1 win over UMBC on Sept. 5 and posting up a late game 2-1 comeback versus the Richmond Spiders on Sept. 8.
This is the first time AU women’s soccer has won four games in a row since 2012, and Stewart knows where the success is coming from, “Offensively, we're doing a lot better,” Stewart said. “We're getting into scoring positions a lot more than we have in the past.”
Stewart attributes part of this success to the team’s chemistry.
“I feel like we're all connected and we all are on the same page,” she added.
She highlighted the chemistry between her and graduate student forward Izzy Kadzban. As the team’s leading goalscorers, Stewart and Kadzban combined for five goals overall.
Still, the Eagles had six different goalscorers in their first six games, demonstrating the well-rounded attacking threat they pose. The team is focusing on attacking in training, which Stewart said helps build their confidence in front of goal.
Now, the Eagles shift their focus to Patriot League action.
In the preseason poll, Patriot League coaches voted American to finish the season in ninth place — just second to last.
Harper said this ranking was a chip on their shoulder, and a driving force giving the Eagles something to prove to the rest of the league.
“We should be proud of what we've done so far,” Harper said. “However, what really matters is what lies ahead, and that is the Patriot League.”
Roemer said the team will approach conference play just like the rest of their games: giving 100 percent.
“We talk a lot about enforcing ourselves on people and not waiting for the response of other teams,” Harper said, “I think that’s what I’m excited about seeing, that mentality shift for this team moving forward this fall.”
The Eagles next travel to take on the Army Black Knights at West Point on Sept. 20. They return home to face the Bucknell Bison on Sept. 25.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Delaney Hoke and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks.
