After less than a week of official practices, Arizona soccer took the field Sunday evening to face a team wearing different uniforms. The Wildcats defeated Arizona Western 2-0 in a closed scrimmage at Mulcahy Soccer Stadium.
The match was played in a modified style with three 30-minute periods instead of two 45-minute halves. The stands were empty except for the media, several members of the Arizona volleyball team, a few Arizona staffers, and a couple of family members.
The match started with head coach Becca Moros putting most of her experienced players in the lineup. One big question going into the season was answered almost immediately. Who has the inside track on replacing legendary Arizona goalkeeper Hope Hisey, who became just the second Wildcat to ever be drafted into the NWSL after last season?
It appears Oklahoma transfer Olivia Ramey is the answer to that question. She started the match although fellow sophomore Ciara Ulreich-Power also got some time in goal.
“I think Liv has experienced quite a bit of it,” Moros said. “And I think that that serves her really well in terms of her confidence in being able to step into a new group. Different different players, different team different environment, and she’s very at ease there. So that’s great to see. And I think she brings a lot of leadership to the training environment for the goalkeeping unit.”
Even with experience, coming to a place where a hometown player set records has to be a bit intimidating.
“It’s definitely a lot of pressure,” Ramey said. “I mean, there’s no one that can fill the shoes of Hope Hisey. So, coming in here, obviously, I want to continue the legacy that she had, but also build my own as Olivia Ramey.”
In addition to Ramey, Moros had forwards Nicole Dallin, Nyota Katembo, and Brooke Ahern, midfielders Megan Chelf, Gianna Christiansen, and Sami Baytosh, and defenders Sarah Rice, Ella Hatteberg, Maia Brown, and Rikako Hayami in the starting eleven. All except sophomore transfers Ramey and Hayami are upperclassmen.
Several younger members of the team got their time, too. Getting them on the pitch before their first exhibition against a Division I team was probably the most important part of the evening.
“We’re only four practices in, but I think that they are developing great chemistry with the other players,” Moros said. “I think there’s good camaraderie there off the field, as well, and it carries onto the field. A lot of support from the veterans and the returners for the freshmen having their first collegiate game, so that’s been exciting. Obviously, we have some ability to get more attackers on the field all at once because we have more total attackers, which is awesome. It’s been a little bit I’d say of an Achilles heel for us over the last few years, so really exciting for us as a team and I know that also creates opportunities for the midfielders to be more dangerous, as well. So I’m excited about it. I thought it was a good first showing for all of our freshmen.”
The freshmen carried the scoring load. The first goal was scored in the 32nd minute by freshman Narissa Fults off an assist by fellow freshman Rose Calkins. The insurance goal came in the 77th minute when junior Hatteberg sent the pass into freshman Jessica Bedolla in the box. Bedolla put Arizona up 2-0.
“I think that the friendships and the bonds that we’ve created before—during preseason, during all the captain’s practices—I think that really led us to the win today and just made us all have a good connection with each other on and off the field,” Calkins said.
The Wildcats played most of the game in their half. They had 23 shots with 14 on goal. They surrendered just one shot on goal early in the game. Arizona had 13 corner kicks to none for AWC.
In the last half of the match, freshman Zoe Mendiola was crucial in helping keep the ball up front. She was consistently able to find space up the left side.
“It was so awesome,” Mendiola said. “Being out here with a new team and new environment, and especially with new coaches. I was definitely nervous in the beginning, but once I got on the field, I was able to flip that switch.”
Arizona got several players back from injury or back to full health after they played through injury last season. Chelf dealt with a broken bone in her foot all last season. Dallin underwent surgery in March. Marley Chappel, Marissa Arnst, and Jessica Ramirez all had “little knocks” that kept them out of the scrimmage, but Moros said they were expected back for the next exhibition or opening day.
It was also an opportunity for some upperclassmen who haven’t played much in their time in Tucson to get some experience. Junior forward MacKenzie Moring has only played two matches in her two seasons in college. She gave Arizona some size at the forward position and showed some of the work that she’s put in.
“She’s really developing some sophistication in the position of the nine,” Moros said. “I know it’s something she’s worked on—the details of that position—a lot. And you see it a lot of American forwards are just runners. It’s kind of what we do best. We are dynamic. We’re aggressive. We’re competitive. We’re very athletic. But that position is a little unique. And to play it really well, you have to hold space. You have to be comfortable not running somewhere, which can often be really uncomfortable like they’re not doing anything. But they’re doing the job and creating opportunities around them, and MacKenzie spent a lot of time in the spring sort of exploring those details of that position from a tactical standpoint, and she’s certainly improved.”
Arizona’s next assignment is to travel to Las Vegas to face UNLV on Wednesday, Aug. 7. It will be the final exhibition before the Wildcats play GCU to open the season on Thursday, Aug. 15. There’s a lot to do in the next 10 days.
“I want to see another step forward (against UNLV),” Moros said. “I think we had a lot of opportunities that didn’t end up in the back of the net, but really positive to be creating chances. I think some of the movements and interchanges, I would hope every time we play will get a little more fluid. I think there were a few missed opportunities. I think Brooke could have put one in the back of the neck. She made a movement in towards the six instead of saying between the six and the 18-yard box. That’s something we’ll show her on film, an opportunity for her to score an easy one. And I think there were a couple follow-ups that I would have liked to see more people in the boxes, a few better crosses and we’d be more dangerous there. So crossing and finishing is definitely something we’re going to work on.”
Lead photo courtesy of Arizona Athletics.