Women’s soccer brings home a win

Amir Vera
Staff Writer

After two weeks of being on the road, VCU’s women’s soccer team finally had a home game Friday against Liberty. The results were phenomenal with the Rams shutting down the Flames with a final score of 3-0. Intensity and an aggressive style of play ultimately led the way to their victory.

The girls were able to gain a quick lead from the very beginning with a combination of teamwork and precision. Within the first 57 seconds, freshmen forward Benz Kun scored the first goal with an assist from sophomore midfielder Breiana White.

Both Kun and White would lead the team in scoring Friday. Kun ended the night with a total of two goals and three assists, while White had one goal and an assist.

“I think I did really well, I think I worked really hard and I moved and I made opportunities for Bre [White] to score,” said Kun. “It was a good game overall for everybody, we did really well. We were all mentally there and we did work.”

While offense was a major asset to the victory, the defense also played a significant role in Friday’s win.

“They were definitely solid and looked organized,” Head Coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said of the defense. “That was one of our biggest keys today too with the shutout, it was just making sure they worked on communication and constantly covering each other, I just felt they did a lot of those details well tonight.”

With all the praise of winning, however, improvements still need to be made. There were a total of four yellow cards issued throughout the game for the Lady Rams’ aggressive playing style.

Roberts Sahaydak believes that it is ultimately the referee’s call and there is not much they can do about it.

“We’re not a vicious team, so we just continue to play aggressively, and you kind of have to stay calm through it,” said Roberts Sahaydak.

Staying calm is exactly what Breiana White did, as she was taken out of the game in the first half due to drawing the eye of the referee.

“I wasn’t angry, I was just playing my game, it’s just the calls didn’t go my way,” said White. “I was upset about it, but I didn’t let it affect my play.”

Though seemingly staying calm, White was still taken out of the game with only 17 minutes left in the first half. Roberts Sahaydak stated she took White out not because she was getting angry but to play it safe because she was playing so well and aggressive that it drew the attention of the referee.

“I took her out because I wasn’t sure if the referees knew what competing looks like, and she already had one yellow card and I didn’t want her to get another yellow card and be out for next game,” said Roberts Sahaydak.

Along with the yellow cards, corner kicks in the second half were also a problem the Lady Rams faced.

“I think we had so many corner kicks and we didn’t finish any, and sometimes they’re the only chance you’ve got [to score] so you’ve got to put them away,” said senior defender Myriam Bouchard.

Sahaydak also believes that getting the newer, younger players adjusted to the “speed of play” is an improvement that needs to be made. According to her, the younger players are not used to the physical pressures of college soccer, such as the speed of defensive players pressuring quickly. As a result, improving that speed would make for an even more efficient program.

With a third win to add to their season and improving their techniques, the Lady Rams are ready for the rest of the season, especially their next game against Richmond.

“I’m confident [about the rest of the season]; I believe in our players and our plan,” said Roberts Sahaydak. “Everyone knows we have a young team so I definitely think we’re going to have some growing pains here and there, but when they come out energized and believing, it can be anybody’s day no matter who we’re playing.”