Once again, the Bradley women’s club soccer team hosted its annual tournament in Morton to conclude the 2014-2015 season. With 12 teams in the pool, the team didn’t bring home the title, but it was still a successful weekend for the Bradley squad.
Bradley opened the tournament with a match against Iowa, and the soon-to-be champion Hawkeyes beat the Braves by a score of 4-1. Bradley quickly rebounded with a 7-2 win over Illinois Central College in its next game but lost in the quarterfinals to Monmouth, 1-0.
Graduate student Maggie Molaskey scored four goals over the weekend, junior Katie Dorgan added two, and senior Sam Boehm and junior Kelly Ditmars each chipped in a goal a piece for Bradley. Molaskey, finishing her second year of physical therapy school, just completed her sixth season with the team.
“I was very happy with how our team played and how well we did against other teams,” club president Parisa Ghasemi said. “Although I wish we would have made it into the semi-final, we left the last game very proud with how we played.”
After joining the Women’s Midwest Alliance Soccer Conference last fall, the club team was faced with many new opponents and challenges. This spring, the team traveled to Ohio to play in the University of Ohio’s indoor tournament on top of hosting its own tournament this past weekend.
“Joining the conference has made us more competitive than we have been in the past, and it turned out to be a great first season in the conference,” Ghasemi said.
Among the players who stepped up this season was senior Jessica Rooney. After the starting goalie graduated last spring, the team was left without a player between the pipes. That’s when Rooney decided it was her time to step up.
“Jessica has never played that position before, but she knew that our team needed someone, and she was eager to help us out,” Ghasemi said.
Ghasemi, who joined the team as a freshman in 2012, was elected the president in her second semester in the spring of 2013. Fortunately for the team, she is only a junior, so she will be back next year to play.
“The title has come with its fair share of responsibilities and challenges,” Ghasemi said. “But being involved with this team has been the best thing for me at Bradley.”
With seniors graduating and other players leaving for various reasons, Ghasemi said the team is always looking for new players. Anyone interested in joining can contact Parisa by email with questions, or by visiting their website at www.bradleywomensclubsoccer.com.
