For the fourth season in a row the Saint Louis University women’s soccer program ended their season with more wins than it did previous season.
The Billikens finished their season 14-3-3 and 4-1-1 after being knocked off in the first round of the Conference USA tournament by Southern Miss., 2-1. And while the early exit was a disappointment for the first-seeded Bills, coach Tim Champion and crew have much to be happy about.
Not only did SLU post its best season ever in its fourth year in existence, but Champion took home the conference Coach of the Year title. Nine players were named to various C-USA All-Conference teams. And the Billikens won the C-USA regular season title.
The most important accomplishment, however, may not have been noticed until now.
Holly Houston summed up the team’s attitude with a saying she used before every game-“I play for you, you play for me.” This attitude was evident in every aspect of the team this year.
The Bills went into the season with their goals set high.
“I felt we had a shot at being one of the top three or four teams in conference. If things went right, we could win conference,” Champion said.
The Bills agreed with Champion’s thoughts. Trisha Underberg said, “I expected to have a good year. We all had the desire to win, play well and have fun.”
Champion felt the turning point of this season happened last spring.
“The incoming freshmen and old players were more intense. Practices were harder, everyone worked harder. We got better as the year went on.”
Early in the season, the Bills felt this was going to be a special season.
“The Duke game (the second game of the season) was big for the team,” Meghann Burke said. “Even though we lost, we kept up with them. We realized we were a good team.”
Houston added, “We came out strong. They were surprised. We were strong for 10 to 15 minutes and had dangerous chances in their end. The fact that we could do that against a highly thought-of team was big,”
The Bills started strong and never let up. They entered Conference USA play with a 4-1-1 nonconference record, with impressive games against Iowa and Indiana.
The Bills continued their dominant play throughout their conference games. This led to the most crucial point of the season-the last three games.
With victories over South Florida, UNC Charlotte and Houston to end the regular season, the Bills clinched the first regular-season Conference USA championship in SLU’s history.
Mandy Trokey said, “We wanted to do our best, regardless.”
Houston added, “We were so happy, so confident in what we could do. We all had the same focus.”
The Bills finished the season with a 14-3-3 record overall, and a 8-1-2 record in conference play.
Trokey said, “I was thrilled to be part of this season. After last year, it was great to rebound. We had the talent; we just needed to blend it. We proved ourselves.”
Kelly Young said, “Having a good record gives us confidence. Winning conference will give us confidence for next year.”
Burke added, “The team’s personality made us believe in each other. It made us gel. We felt like we could beat anybody.”
“The team had a certain charisma. There was a sixth sense about the team you can’t put it into words. We are a team in the truest sense of the word,” Burke said.
“Holly Houston received well-deserved credit by being named to the third team All-Conference. It’s unusual for a solid marking- back to make that team. I’m glad to see her get recognition for how hard she works.” Houston, along with Young, frustrated teams with their relentless defense.
The Bills agreed they want to build on this year’s success by winning the C-USA Tournament next year and receiving an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Trokey said, “Hard work does pay off in the long run. We can show others how good we are.”
Burke added, “This year was a stepping stone for next year. We can use it to become a really good team.”
If the Bills continue to play for each other, they will.
