Spring Arbor women’s soccer team set to embark on NAIA playoffs
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Spring Arbor – The preparation, the extra work, the season-long dominance has all led to this — again.
The Spring Arbor University women’s soccer team wrapped up another brilliant regular season, going 18-2-1. And in doing so, the Cougars are now prepping for Saturday’s NAIA playoff opener with Carroll College.
It’s the sixth consecutive year SAU has reached the NAIA playoffs.
“It’s been a very good year,” coach Jason Crist said Wednesday morning. “Our team is very experienced, being this is our sixth trip in a row to the tournament. We’ve put ourselves a good spot to face a team that’s not seeded.”
SAU is the sixth seed on its side of the bracket, while Carroll (14-5-2) was not seeded.
“But it’s still a very good team that comes from a part of the country we don’t see all that often,” Crist said of the Saints, who hail from Helena, Montana. “They have a very good defense. We have to find ways to break that down. We have to be patient. And we have to get some chances on net.”
That is likely to be the key to Saturday’s game, set for 3:30 p.m. at SAU.
The Saints have allowed 15 total goals in 21 games.
On the flip side, SAU is a goal-scoring machine.
Led by freshman Bethany Balcer (25 goals, 12 assists), the Cougars have found the back of the net 71 times to date, nearly 3.5 per game.
“If you look back at the start of the season, to where we are now, we’re a team that’s really grown with time,” Crist said. SAU scored 10 times in its first four games, for example, but had 20 goals in the season’s final five games. “At this time of the year, you’re not going to keep scoring five goals every time out. We have to keep riding that momentum, though. And we’ve been very solid on the back end. We’re a team that possesses the ball, so we don’t give up a ton, either. We’ve played eight teams ranked in the top 25, so we’ve seen some of the best out there.”
SAU has allowed just 18 goals all season.
The experience of being in the 31-team playoff six straight times is an advantage, Crist pointed out, in the fact his girls know what to expect in a stress-filled playoff format.
The 2012 team reached the semifinals, “and I think this group has the potential to be back in that position. We have as good a chance as anyone,” he said.
The Cougars reached the round of 16 a year ago before losing in a shootout.
“We’ve spent four months getting to this point. The players are excited,” Crist added. “It’s not our first rodeo, which is key. They are ready to get back at this.”
According to the SAU athletics page, the 15 winners of the National Championship Opening Round matches – as well as host University of Mobile – will advance to the national championship final site at the Orange Beach Sportsplex in Orange Beach, Alabama.
The 16-team, single-elimination tournament takes place Nov. 30 through Dec. 5, with the national championship final scheduled for 3 p.m. CST on Dec. 5.
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.