Women’s Soccer 2015: The Season in Pictures

 Make no mistake: the 2015 Bruins were an electric and dangerous team, especially on the counterattack. Despite a 5-13-2 overall record, the Bruins this season possessed a lethality and goal scoring ability, especially from young players, that bodes very well for the ongoing progression of the program. 

After a 2014 season during which the Bruins found the back of the net only nine times – 0.5 goals per match – this season was a revolution, a debut. The Bruins netted 20 goals, doubling their per-game average to exactly one, and took nearly four more shots each game: from 6.5 last season to 10.4 this year. Much of this success stemmed from freshman Savannah Moisan, who led the Bruins’ line and the goal scoring sheet. Her five goals led the team, she tallied an assist, and had 20 shots on goal overall.

Fellow freshman Ashley Behrens also looked promising. Besides claiming two goals herself, her offensive runs consistently helped set up Bruin attacks. Junior Hannah Harder was unlucky not to finish with more than one goal and one assist; her 10 shots on goal trailed only Moisan. For experience and leadership, the Bruins couldn’t do much better than seniors Becca Allen and Michelle Young, who pulled the strings for the Bruins going forward and guided the back-line to steady play. Young, according to Hand was one of the most influential players on the field. 

In goal, senior Ally Swanson had a fine conclusion to her long career as a Bruin. Before succumbing to injury, she posted a fine .720 save percentage. The gloves remained on good hands, though: Swanson’s partner in goal, junior Morgan Bars, had a goals-allowed-percentage of just 1.57 and established herself as a commanding presence in the box. Defensively, sophomore Brette Dodson played in all 20 games, as did senior Sarah Tuemmler and freshman Cassandra Arruda. 

The Bruins had several bright spots as the year went on, including wins against rival Pacific and a pair of back-to-back wins against NWC schools Whitworth and Whitman. The Bruins biggest win of the 2015 season came against UT-Dallas, who at that time was ranked No. 4 in the region. The Bruins had a huge come-from-behind victory in a 3-2 fashion. With such a stockpile of young talent, the Bruins seem loaded to leap another plateau in 2016.