Sagehens Women’s Soccer’s Historic Season

SCICAC Newcomer Lau '20
Pitzer first-year student Brianna Lau ’20

Claremont, Calif. (November 22, 2016)—The Pomona-Pitzer Women’s Soccer team finished its 2016 season with the most wins, and the deepest run in the NCAA Tournament, in program history. The team’s postseason play came to an end on Sunday, when the Sagehens fell in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Tournament.

Pomona-Pitzer wraps up the year 17-1-4, the team’s best record to date. The team also won the SCIAC Regular Season Championship, after closing the regular season undefeated in conference play. It was the first time the Sagehens went undefeated in the SCIAC since 1986 and the team’s first SCIAC Regular Season Championship since 2005.

Women’s Soccer’s historic run included a number of firsts. The Saghens had never made it past round two of the NCAA Tournament before this season, when the team advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament following its 6-0 win over rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The Sagehens went on to defeat No. 7 Wisconsin-Whitewater 3-0 in the Sweet Sixteen round, earning the team’s first Elite 8 appearance in Sagehens Women’s Soccer history. Wisconsin-Whitewater was also the highest-ranked team the Sagehens have defeated under Head Coach Jennifer Scanlon, who joined the Sagehens in the fall of 2003.

wsoccregchamps_web
Women’s Soccer claimed the SCIAC Regular Season Championship on October 26

“To be in the final eight teams in the country is huge, and we showed we can compete with top teams in other regions,” said Coach Scanlon. “All the coaches are really proud of this group and what we have accomplished this year. This program reached a whole new level of performance and success.”

The team’s extraordinary season was recognized by the SCIAC during the conference’s end-of-the-year awards earlier this month. Pitzer College first-year student Brianna Lau ’20 was named Newcomer of the Year, her teammate Nadia Alaiyan (PO ’17) won Player of the Year and the team’s coaches were dubbed Coaching Staff of the Year. Five players, including Lau and Alaiyan, were named First-Team All-SCIAC selections while Pitzer sophomore Peri Cuppens ’19 and two of her teammates earned Second-Team All-SCIAC distinction.

 

About Pitzer College

Pitzer College is a nationally top-ranked undergraduate liberal arts and sciences institution. A member of The Claremont Colleges, Pitzer offers a distinctive approach to a liberal arts education by linking intellectual inquiry with interdisciplinary studies, cultural immersion, social responsibility, and community involvement. For more information, please visit www.pitzer.edu.

About Sagehen Athletics

Pitzer College joins with Pomona College to field 21 varsity teams – The Sagehens – that compete in Division III NCAA athletics and as members of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). There are 10 men’s and 11 women’s teams: baseball (men), basketball, cross country, football (men), golf, lacrosse (women), soccer, softball (women), swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball (women) and water polo.

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