Women’s soccer team looks to make noise in tourney
Wright State FAIRBORN — women’s soccer coach Pat Ferguson knew a treacherous non-conference schedule would pose problems, and he wasn’t sure if his players could handle some early struggles and keep a positive outlook.
But with the help of a strong senior class and some team-wide mental toughness, the Raiders have emerged from that rough stretch with their confidence intact and appear poised to do damage in the Horizon League tournament.
After going 1-5-1 against the likes of Louisville, Cincinnati and Tennessee, they’ve posted a 5-2-1 league record going into the season finale at 7 p.m. Friday against Detroit Mercy. Milwaukee (8-0) has locked up the title, but Wright State, Cleveland State (6-1-1) and Northern Kentucky (5-2-1) are all jostling for top seeds in the tourney, which will start Monday at campus sites.
“We had the toughest nonleague strength-of-schedule in our conference. Once we got into that, it was a matter of keeping the players from (panicking) in the non-conference portion,” Ferguson joked. “They did a good job of staying with it. Once we got into the conference, we’ve done a pretty good job.”
The Raiders will hold their Senior Night against Detroit, honoring their top two scorers along with some other prominent players.
Forward Aaliyah Patten, a Fairborn product, has a team-high 13 points (four goals, five assists) and has earned all-conference honors the last two seasons. Midfielder Mattie Cutts (Colorado Springs) is the second-leading scorer with 11 points (four goals, three assists).
“Aaliyah stepped on campus and was an impact player from day one,” Ferguson said. “Mattie needed a year to get to Division-I fitness level, but since that time, she’s made a big impact. Those are two kids that other teams pay attention to.”
While he’ll miss that dangerous duo, midfielders Brooklyne Mason (Middletown) and Lexie Ulrich (Beavercreek) also will leave a void.
“They’ve maybe from a playing perspective not had the same impact as Patten and Cutts, but from a human standpoint, they’ve been really, really good for the program,” Ferguson said.
The Raiders are assured of a home tourney game and have shown they can compete with the top-tier teams. They lost to Milwaukee and Cleveland State on the road by a single goal, while tying Northern Kentucky at home. No one else in the league has a winning record.
Milwaukee (14-1) will host the semifinals and finals.
“They’re probably the strongest team, but I think they’re beatable,’” said Ferguson, who is in his 14th year. “And I’ve been in the conference long enough where I’ve said of some Milwaukee teams, ‘There’s not a chance.’ But I think there’s a good chance if we face them, we can get them.”
The Raiders have never won the league tourney, but they’ll be a tough out.
“In terms of liking each other and having a common goal, this is probably as good as any team I’ve had,” Fer- guson said. “They’re resilient. Sometimes it can be tough playing for me. I’m quite honest with the players. But they just keep coming back.”
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: The Raiders have an exhibition game at 2 p.m. Saturday against visiting Marian, an NAIA school from Indianapolis.
Their first game is Nov. 6 at CSU Bakersfield.
MEN’S SOCCER: The Raiders, 12-1-2 overall and 5-0-1 in the league, beat Marshall 3-1 on the road Tuesday. They’re ranked 16th in the U.S. Soccer Coaches national poll and 18th in the TopDrawerSoccer.com ratings.
They have a two-game lead in the conference with two matches left — at Green Bay on Saturday and home vs. Milwaukee on Friday, Nov. 2.