Staying Hot, Despite Cooler Weather

Jen Agueci, a junior on the Wright State women's soccer team, is the Women's Soccer correspondent for the HLN Blog.

I can feel the wind's temperature begin to change. Summer is fading...and fall is fighting to take hold of the world. As I kick the ball and watch it fly away, it gets caught in the hurl of the wind. I can feel change.

After coming off a tough loss against Western Michigan, we had a big match on Sunday, September 20th against Valparaiso that we needed to be mentally strong for. Valparaiso is the type of team that, although they may be seen as an underdog, can overtake any team at any time. As a wise person once said, "Big teams show up for big games." This was one of them. Valparaiso fought like lions on the field. There were good scoring chances from both sides within the first 10 minutes, but it wasn't until a fumble around the 18-yard box that allowed Bekah Bonny to score and put us up 1-0.

Heading into second half, with such a tight score, we knew the fight wasn't even close to over. Our 2nd goal came from Lori Anderson off a header that went flying into the back of the net...her FIRST college goal! Up 2-0, we began to take control of the game and scored one more goal to ensure the win. Final score: WSU – 3, Valpraiso – 0.

This past Sunday we played Cleveland State, and expected an epic match. It was Cleveland State's first league game, and although their record wasn't impressive, this game was a chance for them to start something great. Play started off messy when after two minutes Bekah Bonny connected on a goal to put us up 1-0. Bekah has been a consistent goal scorer for us and a very vital player on the field this year. It wasn't long before CSU fought their way back to even ground when Marley Greiner struck a shot past our diving keeper. As the second half wore on, play remained aggressive and even. It wasn't until one of our freshmen, Jennifer Gilbert, connected on a cross from Morgan Butler to finally give us the lead. Congrats to Jennifer on scoring her first career goal, which gave us a 2-1 victory. As for any team who has yet to play CSU, they may seem like a small dog...but don't underestimate their willingness to fight.

I have a lot of respect for CSU. They may not be the most skilled soccer players you've ever seen, but they will fight with every bone in their collective bodies. They are one of those teams where you feel their presence and energy on the field, despite their record or ranking. I believe they will cause many upsets this year and play a key role in taking points away from some of the top teams in the Horizon League.