CLAREMONT, Calif. (Nov. 6, 2024) – The Whittier College women's soccer team saw the incredible 2024 season come to an end at top-seeded Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Wednesday afternoon.
Despite being depleted offensively due to a litany of injuries, Head Coach
Derek Hanks' Poets came up big in spots and held the home team scoreless for the first two-thirds of the game. Junior defender
Emma Tumbarello (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. / Rancho Cucamonga) and junior goalkeeper
Mya Rodriguez (Visalia, Calif. / El Diamante / College of the Sequoias) once again proved to be an incredible last line of defense with Rodriguez showcasing her mobility on stopping tough shots and Tumbarello putting her clearing ability on full display, particularly as it pertained to counter opportunities.
Rodriguez finished the game with six saves, establishing herself as one of the SCIAC's very best goalkeepers heading into her senior season. Moreover, the Poets did not look out of place with the first-place Sagehens, the SCIAC Tournament favorite and a perennial women's soccer power in Division III.
The Poets entered the game down two of their top offensive weapons in senior
Avery Rodriguez (Claremont, Calif. / Claremont / St. Francis College) and SCIAC Newcomer of the Year
Jessica Jensen (Las Vegas, Nev. / Liberty). Last year's SCIAC Newcomer of the Year,
Madeline Traylor (Covina, Calif. / Charter Oak), got knocked out of the game in the second half, putting the Poets at an even greater disadvantage. That, however, did not prevent the Poets from weaving together attacking opportunities and near goal-scoring chances. All-SCIAC midfielders
Juliana Hodgson (Fullerton, Calif. / Sunny Hills) and
Alanis Cervantes (La Habra, Calif. / La Habra) managed to create for the Purple & Gold offensively, particularly on set pieces where both have been two of the SCIAC's best performers in those situations.
In the end, the Sagehens' depth and experience won out on the road, but the Poets will hold their head high and have plenty to build on for next season. The six SCIAC wins and nine overall wins represent a personal best for Hanks, and the Poets managed to come away with a SCIAC Postseason Tournament victory earlier this week in front of an electric home crowd. Meanwhile, an older, wiser Poets team will surely benefit from their experience in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament in the 2024-25 season, and depending on how things break, Whittier could be poised to cement itself as a rising women's soccer power in Southern California.
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