Box Score WHITTIER, Calif. (Oct. 27, 2024) -- The Whittier College women's soccer team took on No. 22 California Lutheran University in a tough draw in the afternoon of Homecoming Saturday, but the Poets went to bed that night knowing they earned a SCIAC Postseason Tournament berth for the first time under Head Coach Derek Hanks and for the first time since the SCIAC Championship season in 2018.

"Over the years, going from a team that had no shot my first season to just barely missing the tournament sophomore and junior season to finally making it senior year feels really rewarding," senior forward Elizabeth Roybal (West Covina, Calif. / West Hills) said. "It means a lot to me knowing that our hard work has paid off, and I think it attests to the work that our class of 2025 has put into the program over the years."

The Poets received some help to make the SCIAC Postseason Tournament for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, but the team made its own luck with five conference wins coming into Saturday in a conference that has seen multiple teams represented in the Division III Top-25 rankings. As for Saturday's game, the Poets gave a good account of themselves in the first half, controlling possession against a talented and experienced bunch from Cal Lutheran. The proof lies in the Poets outshooting the Regals, 4-3 over the first 45 minutes.

The second half saw both teams open up with their footing firmly beneath them, and it was ultimately sophomore forward Madeline Traylor (Covina, Calif. / Charter Oak) who would be first on the board for either team. The scoring sequence started with a shot from sophomore defensive midfielder Audrey Burgmaier (Snohomish, Wash. / Glacier Peak) blocked by a Cal Lutheran defender, only for the ball to find its way to the feet of Traylor right in front of the visitors' net. The sophomore responded accordingly, netting just her second goal of the conference slate. 

However, Cal Lutheran opened up the offense from there, and similar to the two teams' meeting at Memorial Stadium in 2023, the Regals were able to strike back quickly. Nevertheless, junior goalkeeper Mya Rodriguez kept Whittier in the game with four huge saves, and the Poets showed they can be competitive against a team they may be seeing again on later streets.

"During my freshman year, a lot of us were new to the conference and it was a battle to get any points since we were just rebuilding and finding our culture," senior midfielder Juliana Hodgson (Fullerton, Calif. / Sunny Hills) said. " Our program has really developed in the time that I've been here and being able to make the playoffs has been really rewarding. Being a student-athlete isn't easy, so it's nice to see that the hard work has paid off from the early morning to late nights dedicating so much time to the sport I love. It's so exciting to see, especially with a large senior class. This is everything we've wanted, and this is the team that I would want to go to the playoffs with. It is full of my best friends."

Hanks and the Poets will have an opportunity to improve their conference standing if they can knock off the SCIAC's third-best team in Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in the home finale on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
 

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