Written by

Agatha Godlewski

NewsSports

The Comeback Kids Won’t Give Up

Published On: Tue, Oct 29th, 2024, 7:52AMLast Updated: Tue, Oct 29th, 2024, 7:52AM7 min read
By Published On: Tue, Oct 29th, 2024, 7:52AMLast Updated: Tue, Oct 29th, 2024, 7:52AM7 min read

By: Jacob Genereux

Photo Credit – Gerry Marentette

An Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoff berth seemed like a pipedream for the Lancers women’s soccer team.  Dreams, even pipedreams, can come true.

The team was 0-2-2 four games in. Still, it could’ve been worse.  Some great play in the second half was able to salvage a tie against the McMaster Marauders.  The locals were down 3-1.  They showed some fight, a sign of things to come and a season was saved.

The captain of the Lancers women’s soccer team is Katrina Campana.  She’s not one to let her team throw in the towel and take the loss. Campana rallied her team and said, “We are not going to lose this game, let’s keep on playing hard until the end.”
Despite losing their next game against McMaster Marauders in a weekend home-and-home, the simple halftime speech sparked a comeback that gave the Lancers a much-needed point rather than a weekend sweep.

Then came that game against the Algoma Thunderbirds on September 13 at Alumni Stadium – the on that turned it all around.  The game that put the winless streak is going to bed. The Lancers started strong with an immediate goal just over a minute into the game. The quick opening goal set the tone as the crowd jumped, screamed, and chanted “Let’s Go Lancers!”  The team fed off the electricity and it was 4-0 for the home side at half.

They weren’t done.  Not by a long shot. An 8-goal outburst pushed the score to 12-0.  As first wins go, it was one hell of one.  Campana describes this game as “Bringing the fun back into the game of soccer, because it is easy to lose motivation when you are losing often.”

“I can’t speak for the team,” she added, “but it was difficult to enjoy soccer, even at practice during that time of the season”

Not only was this game pivotal for the team, but reeled in the Lancer community who quickly invested back into the team again and cheered on their home team to a dominate win at Alumni Stadium.

The comeback trail had bumps along the way.  The Western Mustangs beat the locals 1-0 in the next game, but it didn’t diminish the good vibes around the team.  Next up, Lancers were tested against divisional heavyweight and eventual OUA bronze medalists, York Lions, in a weekend home-and-home.

Brooke Macleod knew this wouldn’t be an easy week and the six points up for grabs will need to be a complete team effort. She describes that the team was capable of pulling out the two wins against the Lions.

Complications quickly challenged the Lancers. The team left Windsor behind schedule and arrived late in for their evening match against at York. As Campana looked away in the distance with annoyance recalling the memory, she says, “Most athletes have their specific routine before, during, and after the game. Arriving late not only forced the athletes to go out of routine, but the team were not entirely prepared.”

Once again, the team played from behind after the first half of the game, however it was only a one goal lead which gave hope to the team a comeback was attainable.

“We weren’t playing our best in the first half and the expression found among the team was visible,” Campana reflected.

With the team in a negative mood and not playing their best, Campana gives full credit to the coaching staff for rallying the team during the halftime break with reinforced positivity.

As the starters huddled on the field, awaiting the referee’s whistle to welcome both sides to take their starting positions to resume play, Campana, the team captain, gave a short but inspirational speech.

“We did not come all the way over here to lose, we are not going to lose this game, all it takes is one goal and we are back in this game!”

The Lancers emerged in the second half like a new team, rejuvenated and determined. The second half come-from-behind win started with a goal from Macleod, which knotted the game 1-1. A pair of goals from Kailyn Robertson including a penalty kick with approximately 10 minutes remaining sealed a 3-1 victory for the Lancers.

Campana and Macleod both believe the win at York was an extended turning point from the win against Algoma for the season as they had to overcome adversity against the top team in their division who are also one of the top scorers in the league. Macleod was impressed with how the team came together and pulled out the win at York.

The weekend series shifted back to Alumni Stadium and Campana and Macleod recalled the positivity after they with a victory at York Lions Stadium. The momentum transferred to Windsor and the vocal crowd did their part to ensure a Lancer win, shutting out the high-powered Lions offence in a 1-0 victory.  The surprising weekend sweep vaulted the Lancers up the standings. After such a slow start, they were a respectable .500 club (3-3-2).

Photo Credit – Connor Sykes

They could now realistically lay claim to playoff dreams, but it wasn’t going to be easy. They needed points in three out of their last four games and finished the season with a 4-5-4 record (1-1-2 in the final four games) to clinch playoff spot in the final game.

For some, it felt as if it was meant to be.  The Lancers clinched a berth by notching a win and a draw against the team that eliminated them in the 2023 season, the Laurier Golden Hawks.

When asked if there were strengths within the Lancers team, it was the same answer for both Campana and Macleod without hesitation, teamwork and everyone played for each other. Teamwork, trust and belief in one another was the culture they wanted to cultivate when the season began and continue to reinforce as the season progressed.

“The veteran presence has helped a lot of rookies adjust to the student athlete life,” said Robertson. “Everyone felt welcome and supported which created a positive environment.”

Campana acknowledged the resilience of the group, as they continued to work hard at practices and the team did not give up throughout the difficult low points during the season.

“In-person relationships with one another are key to having success on the field,” Macleod said.

This was especially reflective of the turning point(s) in the season to soar back into the playoff conversation. The common challenge the Lancers had to face were slow starts to the season and most games which resulted in a lot of catch-up.

For many athletes and teams, this scenario could be a killer, chasing the game and not being in command. Robertson knows how important it is to win do-or-die games as she is one of the veterans on the team.

Robertson applauds the loyal fan base and noticed a lot of athletes and students from University of Windsor, cheering on the team at all the home games.

“I give a lot of credit to the parents who attend both home and away games repping the blue and gold.”

The 2024 Lancers women’s soccer team had to go through adversity to reach the 2024 OUA playoffs. Starting the season 0-2-2 is a steep hill to climb to start any season. However, the team’s spirit allowed them to comeback in games and steal valuable points in the standings, sweep the top team in the league, regain the individual and team confidence that challenged them to play their best every night in difficult situations until the last game of the season to clinch a playoff berth. Robertson believes this year was a good step forward, and if the team can put in the work during the off-season, the Lancers should see continued improvements soon that would position them for further post-season success.

“This season had plenty of ups and downs, but the big picture is we made the playoffs,” Macleod says as she reflects on the 2024 season.

“This season was definitely a rollercoaster,” Campana says as she describes the season in one sentence.

A tough start to a season, but a strong end to the 2024 season signifies a bright future for the Lancers women’s soccer team.

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