LA VERNE, Calif. (Oct. 25, 2023) – Sophomore forward
Camille Verlich (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. / Rancho Cucamonga) of the Whittier College women's soccer team capped off the 2023 season by notching the game-winning goal for the Poets on the road at the University of La Verne on Wednesday night.
The Poets had previously tied the Leopards at Memorial Stadium back in September, but came into Wednesday's contest knowing anything outside a loss to La Verne would lock them into sixth-place in the SCIAC standings. Nevertheless, the sophomore delivered in a huge way for the Purple & Gold, scoring the game-winning strike in the 72nd-minute. From there, the Whittier defense, led by do-it-all midfielder
Juliana Hodgson (Fullerton, Calif. / Sunny Hills), came through in front of goalkeeper
Emilie Gaupseth (Kristiansund, Norway / Sussex College), who entered the game in relief of starter
Beth Juarez (Whittier, Calif. / California) at halftime. Juarez held La Verne off the scoreboard for the first 45 minutes, making six saves along the way, with Gaupseth making four of her own and marking the first time the Poets stopped more shots than their opponent and won a game in 2023.
The Poets had previously earned themselves a 1-0 advantage off a quick goal from junior winger
Katie Alexander (Lakewood, Calif. / Vanguard University | Cerritos College), her second of the season. Fellow winger
Malia Miller (Juneau, AK Junea Douglas | Pennisula College) assisted on the goal. The junior has been on fire as of late, as Wednesday marked her third-consecutive game with a point (one goal, two assists). The game was otherwise a back-and-forth affair, with La Verne getting the better of some of the offensive exchanges early despite being held off the scoreboard, while the Poets tightened up in the second-half and thrived on the counter attack, outshooting the home team over the final 45 minutes.
Head Coach
Derek Hanks and the Poets finished the 2023 regular season 5-7-3, with a 4-5-3 SCIAC record. A late-season surge from Chapman University, currently in third-place in the SCIAC standings, stymied the Poets' playoff hopes, and they will once again finish just outside the top-four. However, the team's window for success appears to be wide open.
Whittier is graduating just three seniors this year, and did manage to score more goals (24) than they had the season prior (24). With talented sisters
Layla Traylor (Covina, Calif. / Charter Oak) and
Madeline Traylor (Covina, Calif. / Charter Oak) leading the attack, look for the Poets to find themselves once again in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament mix in 2024.
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