Cedarville University Yellow Jackets

October 31, 2017

In Christ Alone

Unfortunately, our season ended this past Saturday. We played Ursuline in the first round of the G-MAC Tournament. We out shot them 34-5 and we had 17 corner kicks while they had 0. Even though we should have won this game, we did not. That is the crazy thing about soccer; this was truly an unlucky game. We lost in PK’s, and it was heartbreaking. It is very sad, especially as a senior, to have a season end like this one. After all the hard work we put in as individuals and as a team, it doesn’t seem right that it should end this way.

Over the five seasons I have had at Cedarville, none have been the same. That might seem like an obvious statement, but it is very true. They have all been very different, but I am thankful for every one of them. I am mostly thankful for the traditions and legacy that is built upon every year. My freshman year, we started the tradition of singing the first verse of "In Christ Alone" before every game. The verse is as follows:

 
I have had the privilege of singing this song 100 times. I have had the honor of playing with 57 different teammates and I am thankful for the impact that each one has had on me and this program. It is amazing how the Lord uses Cedarville Women’s Soccer to form and grow such wonderful people. Since our team is rooted in Christ, as we grow closer to Him, we grow closer to each other. Cedarville becomes home and teammates become family.

In Christ alone, our hope is found. That has been the foundation of this team and I pray that it will always be. That statement makes losses a little easier to handle, and gives purpose to playing soccer. That is the reason why we pray with the opposing team no matter the outcome of the game. We need His strength in us to have a good attitude while talking with the other team and to proclaiming the Gospel. Using soccer as a platform to share the Gospel is a foundational principle of Cedarville Soccer, and it is what makes this program so great. "It is not about the name on the front of your jersey or the number on your back, but the cross stitched right above that."

Every person who has ever gone through the program would agree that your time playing college soccer goes by fast. So, cherish it.

Thank you to everyone who read the blogs this year. I really enjoyed writing them. Thank you to all of our friends and family who supported us this year! We appreciate you all.

Go Jackets.


October 24, 2017

Fall Break Festivities

This past week was Fall Break, however, nothing changed for us other than having the whole campus to ourselves and no classes. It is a good opportunity for fall festivities to begin.

Thursday, October 19

On this day we played Ursuline. Ursuline is one of our biggest rivals. Games with Ursuline are always close and full of emotion. The games with them either end in a heartbreaking loss or a sweet victory. On Thursday, we came out with a sweet comeback victory! They were winning 1-0 at the end of the first half. We came out in the second half and scored three goals to win the game!

Friday, October 20

On Friday, we had a free day to enjoy the break. Some of us caught up on some much needed sleep. Some of us responsibly did homework. Some of us went to the orchard in flannels to take pictures. Some of us went to Chipotle. As you can see, we had many options. Next, we had a quick practice before dinner. After dinner we went to Coach’s house for a bonfire. We made s’mores, roasted hot dogs, played games, and sang songs. It was a great night!

Saturday, October 21

On this day, we were all very confused because we thought Saturday already happened. Thursday without classes and a game felt like Saturday. So on this second Saturday, we played Lake Erie. We won 1-0 on a nice rip from Creslyn Van Dyck. It was great to get the win and the shut out!

This past week we came out with two more victories to continue our winning streak to seven games! Thank you to everyone who came out to support! We play Ohio Valley on Tuesday to end the regular season. This upcoming Saturday starts the G-MAC Tournament! Come out and support us!

Go Jackets.


October 17, 2017

Thankful for CUWS

(Editor's Note: This week's women's soccer blog was submitted by junior Jocelyn Quirple)

There’s a tradition on our soccer team to participate in "thankfulness walks." Sometimes these walks occur when we walk out to the practice field each afternoon after a long day. Sometimes these walks occur before a 9 a.m. class. Sometimes we can call for a thankfulness walk as we brave from one side of the lake to the other in the rain.

As we walk, or run, or sit, or warm-up, we’ll take turns listing off moments, people, objects, circumstances, provisions which we appreciate. Suddenly, there are plenty of smiles as teammates pour over little blessings, big blessings, goofy blessings…

Today is October 12. That is exactly two months since our report date for our fall preseason. Two months since our team was united for the season. I’m immensely thankful for that. And so, on the ride back from our win at Malone, I call for a "thankfulness walk" (or ride) through the past two months, and for a few sentences, I’d like you to join…

For a five-game win streak!

Shutting out Malone!

Destroying Walsh in a high energy, goal achieving match

A solid week of training sessions so far despite a crazy academic week

A University that prizes athletics as a platform

Goofy teammates

Haunted corn mazes…

Team dinners in Chuck’s

Wonder Woman

Tuesday pancakes on a Thursday

Lake Michigan

Guac parties

Wonder Woman

Safety on travels

Cowboy boots in Nashville

Sleep talking stories

Ice baths

Bus drivers like Coach Mac and Tami (rock on!)

Homecoming that comes a week early when our lovely legacy teammates come

Teammates who build into each other’s lives

Parents who adopt the whole team

Road trips

Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats

Laughter

Cracker Barrel

Beautiful weather

The best athletic trainers in the world

A united team…

Future goals to score!

Those blessings will keep rolling into midterms and fall break. This list could fill up page after page as we pursue the best season yet in a "day by day fashion" (quote from Grace Miorelli.)

Counting the blessings, but not the days until the G-MAC final. Thanks for joining our "walk"…or "ride."

- Jocelyn Quirple


October 10, 2017
 

October 3, 2017

We are now halfway through our regular season. This week was not super eventful, but I would like to quickly mention a few highlights/lowlights.

September 26, 2017 – Dreaded Heading Practice

Every season we usually have a practice dedicated to heading the ball. This dreaded practice occurred this past Tuesday. We began with simple heading drills and progressed to more complex drills. This is not a good practice to come into with a headache or even a good hair day.

September 27, 2017 – Bible Study

Every Wednesday night we have our team Bible study. We rotate between teaching nights, small group, and panel questions. This past week was a panel session where we can ask any questions to the women who are involved with our Bible study. Mrs. White, April McKinion, Rachel Kimble, and Deanne Meade all help lead our study. Currently, we are going through the book "None Like Him" which discusses the difference between attributes of God and humans.

September 28, 2017 – Kentucky Wesleyan

On this day we played Kentucky Wesleyan in a tough match and lost 1-0.

September 30, 2017 – Trevecca

We played Trevecca on Saturday and we were able to redeem ourselves from our previous loss. Hannah Atkinson scored in the second half to win the game for us. Everyone played very well and gave their best effort.

For the remainder of our games this season, it is so important for us to come out ready and give 100%. Every day at practice, we strive to improve and push each other to get better. This week, we were reminded that we need to practice how we play in games. Also, we need to use soccer as a form of worship all days of the week, not just during games.

Matthew 5:16 -"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

This week we take on West Virginia and face Alderson Broaddus and Davis & Elkins! Thanks for tuning in!

Go Jackets.


September 26, 2017

"A Day in the Life of a Lady Jacket"

Another week has come and went! This past week we played both of our games at home. On Thursday, September 21, we played a hard fought game against Ohio Dominican. Unfortunately, we lost 3-1. On Saturday, we turned things around and beat Findlay 2-0! Thank you to all of the fans and parents who came to watch. It was a fun weekend and the baked goods we received made it even better.

Now I bet many of you are wondering, what is it like to be a Lady Jacket? If you were a player on CUWS your day would go something like this…

7 a.m. - 9 a.m. / Wake up.
This depends on what time you have class or if you plan to go to chapel. Now, if you are anything like Jocelyn Quirple or other early birds, you would get up before the sun rises. But if you are like most of us you would wake up at 7:45 a.m. for an 8 a.m. class.

After a game day: You understand what it feels like to have been hit by a bus.

After an away game day: You wonder if it is legal for me to have an 8:30 a.m. class after getting back to school at 2 a.m.?

9 a.m. - 10 a.m. / You get ready.
This is the time where many of us ask ourselves whether or not it is worth it to look nice. Is it worth putting on a dress or a nice shirt when I will have to change for practice later? Should I wear my hair up or down? I’ve worn my hair up so much, but that always seems like the best option most days. That is why MWF and TR classes are such a blessing. You could wear the same exact outfit two days in a row and no one would know.

10 a.m. / Chapel.

11 a.m. - 2 p.m. / Lunch.
This events normally starts in chapel or in our group message with questions like "Is anyone eating now?", "Who’s going to lunch?", "Anyone in Chuck’s?"

It is not required to sit with the team every day, but we do. We all always start by checking to see what is in the "home cooking" line. If it looks appetizing or we can at least recognize it, it is a quick easy meal to eat. If we are not sure if that is meat or a potato, we cook something on the grill. Carbo-loading is a good option every day. We’ve got a game tomorrow...carbo-load. We had a game yesterday…carbo-load and drink chocolate milk. We have a game coming up soon…carbo-load.

3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. / Pre-practice.
This is an interesting part of the day when you start to reflect on the fact that soccer will take up approximately the next three-ish hours of your life. This is the time to take a nap before practice, eat some snacks in the locker room, do homework, or get some extra touches on the ball in.

5 p.m. - 6:55 p.m. / Practice.
Chloe West sums up this time best in one of her 2014-15 blogs.

"Most of the time practice is interesting and diverting. After all, you do love this sport. But, you're lying to yourself if you don't admit to at least considering learning how to tell time by the sun. Thankfully, you don't have to, as you've developed a very extensive code for indirectly asking for the time. ("So if you were cooking a chicken...what temperature would you set...maybe 545...degrees?"). You've also perfected the I-may-look-like-I-care-about-overlapping-runs-but-really-I'm-looking-straight-past-you-and-at-the-rotissserie-chicken-I-hope-is-left-at-Chuck’s face. Very effective. You divide the rest of your time praying you don't hear the words "fitness" or "on the line," wondering why coach always sees you pass to the other team but never sees you score a beautiful goal, and trying to figure out why the practice pinnies smell so bad." All in all, you stay engaged, have some fun, and successfully avoid wearing shin-guards for most of the time. It's a good day."

7 p.m. - 11 p.m. / Post-practice.
Do we have enough time to ice bath before dinner? Do we have enough time to even make it to dinner? Will there be any food left in Chuck’s (hopefully at least be chicken at Habanero)? After dinner, this is the time where you figure out how you will spend the remainder of your night. Should I shower now or after I do homework? Should I do homework in the library (Club Lib) or should I go somewhere to actually get work done? If you go to the conversational section of the library, prepare to get very little work finished. After not getting much done, it’s time for bed or time to actually be productive. Soon this will all repeat.

Maybe tomorrow I will look nice for class…or not.

Go Jackets.


September 19, 2017

Thursday, Sept. 14
We have returned from our second consecutive weekend on the road. This time we took on Kentucky Wesleyan in Owensboro, Kentucky and Trevecca in Nashville, Tennessee. We loaded up for our trip on Thursday, September 14th and hit the road around 9:30 a.m. We made our first and only stop of the 5-6 hour drive at Bob Evans; a place of comfort food and homegrown hospitality. Bob Evans has a good variety of breakfast or lunch options ranging anywhere from chocolate chip pancakes to fried cod sandwiches. After lunch, we hopped back on the bus and headed straight for Kentucky Wesleyan. The game was scoreless until KWC scored around the 30th minute of play. Sam Newman answered and scored a goal with 22 seconds left in the half. Sarah Meisel played a nice ball across to Sam who calmly placed the ball into the back of the net. In the second half, KWC scored again in the 65th minute making it 2-1. With six minutes left in the game, Hannah Atkinson scored two goals to win the game for us with a final score of 3-2!!

Friday, Sept. 15
Friday morning, we traveled two hours to the music city. Fridays are always more enjoyable the day after a W! When we arrived, we ate lunch at a place called Demo’s, and then had about an hour or so to take on the city. Some of us are extremely responsible and take this kind of free time to do homework. Some of us are a little more adventurous and take this time to explore. As you could have guessed, there are many stores with cowboy boots, ten-gallon hats, and live rooftop music. We returned back to the hotel where we hung out and did homework. While we were deep in our studies, we get a text that we we’re to be leaving for dinner at 7:30 p.m. None of us knew where we were going and we were happily surprised that it was Chick-fil-A! What a great way to end the day.

Saturday, Sept. 16
We started the day off right with breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Many of us would highly recommend getting the "fresh start sampler." If you enjoy two farm fresh eggs, sausage, a house-baked wild Maine blueberry muffin, and a mix of low-fat vanilla yogurt and fresh seasonal fruit topped with honey oat, almond and dried fruit granola then this is the meal for you. After breakfast, we met back in the hotel for pre-game worship. This is one of the many great privileges of being a part of a Christian team. Following this we packed up our stuff and headed for Trevecca. The weather was nearly 90 degrees, and we made it out with a 1-1 draw. Rachel Wiggins scored her second goal of the year off of a nice cross from Alyssa Maillefer. Playing in double overtime is draining to begin with and the heat makes it much harder. We are very proud with the way we played. A draw is a good result on the road! After the game, we cleaned up, ate some Subway and headed home. Again, we only made one stop on the way back in a bus full of 25+ girls. If that is not a miracle I don’t know what is.

After a fun weekend we return home this week to match up against Ohio Dominican on Thursday, September 21st @ 7pm. It is free T-shirt night so come out and support us! And on Saturday, September 23rd we play Findlay @ 7pm. Be there! Thanks for tuning in again!

Go Jackets.


September 12, 2017

Hello Yellow Jacket fans,

Well we are back from a weekend well spent in pure Michigan. We unfortunately did not get the results we were hoping for, but there is no denying that we learned a lot and made a few discoveries.

1) We discovered Rose’s spirit animal is a praying mantis.

2) Lyndsey discovered that her name (Lyndsey Smith) is in the Bible.

* II Kings 24:14 -"He carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained, except the poorest people of the land."

3) We discovered Taylor Noll’s new nickname -"Tonya."

*During practice on Saturday morning coach, trying to get Taylor’s attention, yelled Tonya instead of Taylor…common mistake…

On Friday night we had the opportunity to play Grand Valley State University, one of the top ranked teams in the nation. Our adrenaline was pumping as we stepped out onto the field under the bright lights. Our energy grew as the drums played and the crowd was filling in. We had a few scoring chances throughout the game. One of which Emma Conway played a great ball over the top to Alyssa Maillefer who almost chipped the keeper for a goal, but hit the post instead. The game was scoreless until around the 30th minute where GVSU scored to take the lead. GVSU ended up winning 2-0, but it was a hard fought game and we played well despite the loss.

On Saturday we had the privilege of spending most of the day at Lake Michigan: 22,300 square miles of fresh water and pure beauty. Many of us who swam in the brisk waters (63 degrees) were shocked not to taste salt as we came up from under the water. Although there was much debate over whether Lake Michigan was better than East coast beaches, we concluded that they are both great. The Anthony’s and Maillefer’s were kind enough to supply us with blankets, towels, games, and a wonderful poppy seed chicken dinner. Winner winner chicken dinner. The day was full of fun, laughter, spike ball, pier jumping, and model shots on the rocks (Allison Garlock). When we returned back to the hotel from the lake, we worshiped together and watched a sermon by Francis Chan.

On Sunday we had our third game in five days. We traveled an hour to Ferris State University. It was a warm and beautiful Sunday afternoon on the turf. Unfortunately, we did not get the result we wanted as we lost 2-1. Allison Garlock made 11 huge saves, a career high. Thank you to all of the parents and fans who came out this weekend and supported us. We really appreciate it. Special thanks to the Anthony’s, the Maillefer’s, the Conway’s, Tim Dejong, the Barnes’, and to anyone else who attended. And special thanks to Linda Barnes for making delicious brownies for the ride home. After the game, we cleaned up, went to Wendy’s and hit the road.

This week we will be traveling to Kentucky and Tennessee as we face off against Kentucky Wesleyan and Trevecca. We are excited to see what this upcoming trip has in store for us. We plan to glorify God in all that we do, and plan to continue to share the gospel with our opponents.

Thanks for tuning in! Stay tuned for next week’s adventures as we head south!

Go Jackets.


September 5, 2017

"THE BIN IS BACK!"

We are now in the full swing of classes and our regular season has begun! We are all getting comfortable with our daily routines and schedules. This past week was a very exciting one for us! Just when you thought summer was over, on August 31, our game was themed "Beach Night!" It was great to see everyone in their beach attire, and it was such a fun atmosphere to play in. Thank you to all (almost 600 people) who attended; we have to give some credit to the fans for our 4-0 victory over Saginaw Valley State. Alyssa Maillefer scored our team’s first goal of the season! But she did not stop there as she scored a second goal only 1:54 after the first one. Only a few minutes later, Hannah Atkinson unleashed a sweet volley for our third goal of the night. In the second half, Rachel Wiggins scored early on to give us a 4-0 lead! This was her first collegiate goal in her debut as a freshman!

To make things more exciting, Sarah Meisel’s mom was generous enough to bring the "snack bin" back to the locker room. We all got very excited when we heard one of our teammates shout, "THE SNACK BIN IS BACK!" This is the third year of the infamous snack bin, and we are very thankful for it. It is so convenient for moments before practice when your stomach begins to rumble like thunder. It is also nice if you need to put together a last minute Secret Soccer Buddy gift (guilty as charged).

And the excitement did not stop there! On Saturday, we had our second game of the season against Lewis University. This was the first ever women’s soccer matchup between our two schools. We knew that this was going to be a tough game and an important game that we needed to win. The game was 0-0 until the 39th minute of play. Gaby Young passed the ball to Sophia Norden right outside the box. Sophia ripped a shot, and the keeper didn’t stand a chance. And just like that we were up 1-0! Sophia, also a freshman, earned her first collegiate goal in her debut! What a week for our freshies! The remaining 51 minutes of the game was scoreless, but still thrilling. With one minute left to play one of our center backs (I won’t name any names, but she got her first yellow card ever) committed a smart foul right outside our box. Thankfully, we were able to hold the lead and win the game!

Even though there was much excitement this week, we must put it behind us and refocus to our upcoming matches. This will be a very busy week as we play Ohio Valley on Wednesday (Home @ 4:30) and then hit the road for two games in Michigan where we will face up against Grand Valley State and Ferris State (Friday and Sunday). Thank you all for tuning into this week’s blog post! Stay tuned for next week’s post all about our adventures in Michigan.

Go Jackets.


August 29, 2017

PRESEASON / ”WE’VE BEEN MOONED”
 
Hello! My name is Grace Miorelli and I am excited to write this year’s women’s soccer blog. It will be hard to follow up some of our previous great name bloggers (Olivia Moore, Carly Gregory, and Chloe West), but I’ll do my best to capture some of our most embarrassing and shining moments.
 
On August 12th we arrived for preseason. We had little time to unpack before the preseason festivities quickly commenced. The first day was filled with physicals, team meetings, compliance meetings and things of that nature. Sunday, August 13th, we were all able to go to church together as a team and relax a bit before the real work began the following morning. Monday, August 14th began with the dreaded “Stinger” mile run. On Tuesday afternoon everyone was relieved as we had completed our “Hive Jive” fitness test as well as all of our skills tests. This being my fifth college preseason, I’ve realized that preseason actually creates an attitude of gratitude.  Players become very thankful for many unexpected things. We become thankful for things like ice baths, painfully rolling out our sore muscles, purple Gatorade, and coach ending a meeting 10 minutes early so you can squeeze in a seven-minute nap before practice. We are also thankful for solar eclipse glasses…can’t forget about that. But preseason also makes us thankful for the time we have to spend with our amazing teammates. We are excited to have nine new freshmen with us this season. (Rose Anthony, Allie Davidson, Kaley Jamison, Jordan Nerderman, Taylor Noll, Sophia Norden, Rachel Wiggins, Delight Williams, and Gaby Young)
 
Even though we all come from different places, families, and backgrounds, we all love the game of soccer and we plan to use it as a platform to share the gospel. Unity is so important on our team because if one of us does not share the same goals, our message to the opposing team may be skewed. That is why we live and play by our five team pillars. These include Christ-Centered, Team-Focused, Worth Ethic, Humility, and Legacy. Every day we strive to grow closer to each other, but most importantly closer to the Lord.
 
We have also had two preseason scrimmages. The first scrimmage was at UIndy so our freshmen got to experience the road trip lifestyle. Our second scrimmage was home against Bellarmine. Unfortunately we lost both scrimmages, but we can definitely take positives away from both games. We were able to score our first goal (Alyssa Maillefer) of the season which was encouraging. After a loss it can be hard to bounce back, but we must. We are very excited to start our regular season this upcoming Thursday on August 31! Not only is the game under the lights, but it is also themed - Beach Night! Come on out and have some fun in the sun, and catch a gnarly wave or two.
 
Go Jackets.


Grace Miorelli is a senior midfielder from Souderton, Pa. She is in her fourth season with the Lady Jackets and is a Dean's Honors List student majoring in exercise science.