CMC75 Moments: 2002 Women's Soccer Takes Down Cal Lutheran in SCIAC Playoff
As part of the buildup to the 75th Anniversary celebration for Claremont McKenna College (visit CMC's 75th Anniversary Countdown Page to learn more), we are reliving many of the great moments from CMS athletic department history over the 75-day countdown from April 17 to July 1. If you were a part of this great moment and would like to add to the memories, or if you would like to submit your memories of your own favorite CMS Athletics moments, fill out the form on our main 75th Anniversary page.
Great Moments from 75 Years of Athletics
2002 Women's Soccer: Athenas 5, CLU 4 (PKs) – SCIAC Playoff
CMS women's soccer tied Cal Lutheran for first place in the SCIAC in the regular season at 8-3-1, a big step for the program which hadn't finished first since 1988, after Cal Lutheran became the dominant power in the league by winning 10 in a row from 1991-2000. The first-place tie also gave the Athenas a chance for an even bigger step.
It took a late push in the regular season with five straight wins after a 3-3-1 start to pull into the tie, including a 2-1 overtime win over La Verne and a big 2-1 home win over Cal Lutheran in the regular season finale. That set up a rematch with the Regals in a playoff game to determine which team would go to the NCAA Tournament, a place CMS had never been.
CMS got the upper hand with a 2-0 haltime lead, but Cal Lutheran battled back and the game went to overtime tied 3-3 after goals from Ina Labermeier, Sarah Carlson and Megan Schmid. The teams battled through two overtime periods, sending the game into a pressure-packed penalty kick shootout, and CMS came through under the pressure, winning the shootout 5-4 to advance to the NCAA Division III Championships for the first time.
Petra Kowalski, Rachel Lawler, Sara Solis, and Shelley Suzuki were named to the All-SCIAC first team, while Brandi Thompson was on the second team. Suzuki added second-team NSCAA All-West Region honors as well.
Sarah (Carlson) Lambert:
Being a senior for the 2002 season makes this a very special moment for me, and my fellow senior teammates. I was one of the players selected to take a PK and can vividly remember that moment, as it was critical I make my shot to keep our team's NCAA hopes alive. It had rained throughout the game and the ground was soaked, adding an extra challenge. I walked toward the goal, set the ball down on the PK spot and took a deep breath as the referee blew the whistle, signaling it was time for me to shoot. I took a hard shot to the lower corner of the net and scored! It was exciting to be SCIAC Champs and be the first team to represent CMS Athena soccer at the NCAA tournament.
I remember the home win at La Verne because it was a night game. Brandi was making runs down the sides of the field and I was giving her constant through-ball passes. It was off one of these passes that we were able to get a goal.
The regular season win over Cal Lutheran was huge, in particular, because the win was at home. Cal Lutheran held one of SCIAC's top spots during my four years as an Athena and they always traveled well, bringing lots of student fans with them from Thousand Oaks. You never want to lose a home game and getting this win at home, which pushed us into a first place tie with them, was such an exciting moment for us seniors and a great way to culminate four years of SCIAC regular season league play.
Ina Labermeier
I think because I was a freshman, I don't remember building up that season or that moment too much - it was more about going out and playing hard every game. But I do remember feeling pretty proud of my freshman class for stepping up to take 3 of the 5 PKs!
Coming on to this team my freshman year was amazing - I don't think there could have been a better way to start college! There are a lot of unknowns that first year, but the team always hung out on the weekends, ate together at Collins, etc, so you felt like you had a group of friends from the start. I feel like the team genuinely cared about each other and there was always a great blend of fun and hard work, so you wanted to play well for each other.
Sara (Solis) Guiltinan
Like Ina wrote, I felt such a strong bond with the 2002 team right away. The seniors, juniors, and sophomore were so much fun and created an environment of camaraderie, friendship, and teamwork. These many years later, my memories of the games and practices (except Halloween practice) have faded, but I can remember the great times off the field and the feeling of being part of an amazing group of humans.
2002 Women's Soccer Roster
Head Coach: Jennifer Clark
Assistant Coach: Hilary Potkewicz
Holly Allen-Young (Fr., D, Scripps)
Megan Brothorton (Jr., D, CMC)
Sarah Carlson (Sr., F/D, CMC)
Jamie Clark (So., F, CMC)
Katy Femia (Fr., GK, CMC)
Kathryn Grande (Sr., M, CMC)
Emily Haber (Fr., M/F, Scripps)
Susie Jensen (So., M/D, CMC)
Petra Kowalski (So., GK, CMC)
Ina Labermeier (Fr., M, CMC)
Rachel Lawler (Sr., M, CMC)
Laura Maurer (So., M, CMC)
Erin McLendon (So., M/D, CMC)
Julie Pfister (Fr., M/F, CMC)
Nichole Pitzen (Fr., F/D. CMC)
Sarah Rogers (Sr., F/M, CMC)
Mele Soto (So., GK, HMC)
Megan Schmid (Fr., D/F, Scripps)
Sara Solis (Fr., D/M, CMC)
Shelly Suzuki (Jr., M/D, CMC)
Dale Swirhun (Fr., D, Scripps)
Janet Taylor (Sr., M, CMC)
Brandice Thompson (Jr., D, CMC)
Elizabeth Timms (Sr., F, CMC)
Lexi Turpack (Fr., M/D, CMC)