DWU women’s soccer prepping for postseason action

MITCHELL, S.D. – Participating in their first Great Plains Athletic Conference postseason tournament since 2014, the Dakota Wesleyan University women's soccer team must wait a little longer than normal to take the pitch again as they take on Concordia University on April 3 in Seward, Neb.

 The GPAC tournament is being held this spring instead of the fall of 2020 with the NAIA National Tournament being held in April and May.

Recap of the fall season

 After a historic season in the fall with DWU beginning 4-0, including a 3-2 upset victory over Hastings College for the first time since 2009, the Tigers were forced to halt their momentum until the spring. The nine victories were the most since head coach Clayson Glasgow took over the program in 2014.

 After beginning 4-0, DWU hit a skid midway through the season losing two of their next three games. However, the Tigers bounced back to win four of their next five games. During the winning streak near the tail end of the season, history was made as Alyssa Weidler (Sioux Falls, S.D.) broke the record for most goals scored in a career. She finished the fall with 11 goals scored and 40 goals in her career.

What has changed since the fall?

 With a four-month hiatus between the conclusion of the fall season and the beginning of the spring, there have been some changes. One of the main changes includes the departure of five seniors. Of those five seniors were the career goal-scoring leader in program history, a goalkeeper that started seven games and one of the top defenders for DWU.

 However, with the absence of those players comes the 'Next Player Up' mentality. Filling the shoes of Weidler is a duo that played extremely well all season long. Josephine Bardsley (Tea, S.D.), Alondra Partida (Salinas, Calif.) and Kamryn Harrop (Willard, Utah) look to continue the strong offensive attack for the Tigers. Bardsley finished the fall with seven goals and six assists, while Partida tallied five goals and three assists.

 In the net, Hannah Bowes (Omaha, Neb.) is no stranger to deflecting every shot kicked her way. She started six games in the fall and has played in 53 games in her career. She split time with senior Alissa Betz (Bismarck, N.D.) during the fall as the pair combined for 83 saves.

 By herself, Bowes snagged 18 saves during the 2020 season, while she has recorded 311 saves throughout her career. She has finished with seven shutouts and eight wins in her career at goalie.

 Assisting Bowes on defense includes a plethora of talent that has been wreaking havoc on opposing teams all season long. Holding down the defensive front includes Jade Wesley (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Kassidy Johnson (Hartford, S.D.), Alyssa Crnic (Omaha, Neb.), Hannah Dalebout (Roy, Utah), Bailey Nester (Hartford, S.D.) and Mary Niedzwiecki (Lorton, Va.).

 "We had a very positive fall season, so for us this spring the mindset is all about getting better and making improvements," Glasgow commented. "I must say that I am very inspired by the work this group has put in thus far. The group is focused and is very eager to play this spring."

 The defense held opponents to just 18 goals all season compared to 32 goals by DWU. The defense also stifled opposing offenses by forcing them to take poor shots as the opposition finished with 52% of its shots on goal, while DWU finished with 58.1% of its shots on target.

What does the schedule look like?

 With the quarterfinals of the GPAC postseason tournament to begin on April 3, the Tigers were allotted games prior in order to prepare for the postseason. The games will count as regular-season contests and count against DWU's record.

 Two of the three games are on the road with the first one being against Tabor College at 7 p.m. today in Hillsboro, Kan. The Blue Jays boast a record of 6-4 and are 2-0 this spring with wins over University of St. Mary and Ottawa University.

 The second game of the spring is slated against Kansas Wesleyan University at 5 p.m. on Tuesday in Salina, Kan. The Coyotes are 7-2 on the season with a 3-2 victory over MidAmerica Nazarene University earlier in March.

 The final game before the GPAC postseason tournament will be at home against NCAA Division II opponent, Northern State University. The Tigers and Wolves will battle at the Pepsi-Cola Soccer Complex at noon on Sunday, March 28.

 The Tigers travel to Seward, Neb., to play Concordia in the opening round of the GPAC tournament at 7 p.m. on April 3. The teams met earlier in the fall with DWU coming away with a 1-0 victory from Bulldog Stadium. The winner of that game will take on the winner of Midland University versus Morningside College.