After qualifying for the NCAA tournament in 2023, the Simpson women’s soccer team is looking to take their success to another level this season.
The Storm have a record of 5-0-3, and look to remain undefeated as they go into conference play. They will head into the conference season ranked fourth in region IX in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
The Storm returned nine starters from the team that made the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament last year. Graduate forward Cassie Nash is going to play a big role once again if the Storm wishes to build on their success, yet she knows it is not going to be a walk in the park to get there.
“It’s a matter of focusing on one game at a time and trying to put those away. That way we can make it to where we want to be toward the end of the season,” Nash said.
Simpson entered the season ranked second in the American Rivers Conference coaches’ poll, only behind Loras who defeated Simpson in a penalty shootout in last year’s ARC championship.
“We see ourselves as having a target on our back because of how we did last year and the turnaround we’ve had in the program,” Nash said.
The turnaround began when Jeremy Reinert took over as the Storm’s head coach in 2018. In 2019 Reinert led the Storm to their first conference tournament since 2013, and has made it back every season since. Reinert believes that not only the difficulty of the ARC, but also the difficulty of their non-conference opponents gives them an advantage this season.
“Every opponent presents a challenge, and I think that’s part of the narrative of our season right now. We’ve been so excited for the couple of teams that have the history or fortitude to be a really capable program,” Reinert said.
After a couple of draws early in the season, Reinert believes the team is going to keep taking steps forward to become an even better version of themselves.
“We’re at a really good crossroads in our season right now where we’re about to really take off, and I think it’s just recognizing the value that each day brings. Whether it’s a training, recovery or a game day, each day has its purpose, and we’ve got to find the purpose,” he said
The biggest advantage of being the number one overall seed in conference play is getting to host every game. If the Storm finishes the regular season on top of the ARC, it could mean two more games played at Bill Buxton Stadium in front of the Storm’s home fans.
In the past few seasons, Storm players and coaches have noticed a growing amount of student and fan support at every home game. Home field advantage is something not every team sees in Division 3 women’s soccer, yet it has helped the Storm go undefeated for 15 straight home games.
“Having the student body at our games, we feed off the energy that they bring so knowing that their supporting us helps us play better on the field,” Nash said.
One of those students in the crowd at nearly every home game is senior Brody Wirtz, who hopes even more of the student body will attend to support the team in any way they can.
“They have a great team environment. It’s a really fun opportunity to get out there and be screaming and get loud,” Wirtz said.
With only four home conference games left for the Storm, including one against 16th ranked Loras, student support could give the team the energy they need to finish the season on top of the ARC.
