WHITTIER, Calif. (Sept. 21, 2024) – Senior midfielder
Juliana Hodgson (Fullerton, Calif. / Sunny Hills) of the Whittier College women's soccer team scored the winning goal, the Poets' most important of the season to date, in the waning minutes of Saturday night's game against Occidental College to seal a 1-0 win over the Tigers as well as three points for the Poets in the SCIAC standings.
The goal is Hodgson's first of the season -- at least on paper. The senior struck a beautiful free kick against Southwestern University that gave the Poets a 1-0 lead in that game, but with the game getting called at halftime due to an unplayable heat index as well as the game ceasing to reach the 70-minute minimum to count, the goal will not count in the record books. However, the senior's goal on Saturday closes the circle on a mini-redemption arc of sorts with this goal carrying more meaning, given the circumstances. Had Hodgson not come through, the Poets would have two points in two games and sit squarely in seventh. Instead, Whittier now has four points next to its name and finds itself in a tie for second with Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, a team the Poets tied earlier in the week.
"Liz [Roybal] had a great lay off to Layla [Traylor] who shot the ball which hit off the crossbar," Hodgson said of the goal. "I knew to follow up the ball since at practice, every rebound goal we score is worth two points. Once Layla shot it, I followed it up and it was an easy tap in to the goal."
Prior to the goal, Whittier dominated the game, for the most part, outshooting the Tigers 20-7, and 9-4 on shots on goal. Perhaps more significant, the Poets had the Tigers covered 9-1 on corner kicks, emphasizing the pressure Head Coach
Derek Hanks' team were able to put on the opposition. The Tigers had to play off their back foot for the majority of the game, save for the last third of the first half when they were able to turn the tables on the home team from a momentum standpoint.
The chances were there for the Poets throughout the game. Sophomore
Madeline Traylor (Covina, Calif. / Charter Oak) nearly made it back-to-back games with a goal after the best shot she hit all night found its target, albeit on the opposing keeper's gloves on a nice diving stop to her left. Sister
Layla Traylor (Covina, Calif. / Charter Oak) threatened more than any other Poet, trying shots from all over the field with all five finding a path to the net. However, she did have a hand in the winning goal after all, with her final shot on net forcing the Oxy keeper to make a tough stop, paving the way for Hodgson to knock in the winner. Junior goalkeeper
Mya Rodriguez (Visalia, Calif. / El Diamante) earned the clean sheet, stopping all four of the Tigers' scoring chances over the full 90 minutes.
Whittier is now 1-0-1 in SCIAC play and eager to establish itself as a rising women's soccer power on the west coast.
"I think that the key to our success so far is our team chemistry," Hodgson said. "We have a lot of returners, and especially seniors who have experience playing together and know what our league is like. We've had a lot of good energy supporting each other on the field an don the sideline, which I think has really helped uplift the team and bring positivity to move us forward."
Hodgson and the Poets will look to make it consecutive victories when they hit the road and travel to the University of La Verne on Wednesday, Sept. 25. The Poets do have a win in hand on the Leopards this season, albeit in non-conference action.
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