The back of their warmup shirt displays one word in big, bold letters: FAMILY. This word not only describes the bond between the players of the Clarke Soccer Program but also what has propelled them to their record-breaking season. This record-breaking season has manifested in many forms for the Clarke University women’s soccer team: the most shutouts, the first time receiving national ranking votes, and the first time in history hosting a postseason game. With an 8-2-1 conference record and a 12-3-3 season record, the Pride earned the fourth seed in the conference tournament. The win against Grand View on October 31 led the Pride to their best conference record in program history.
The players attribute this success to their determination, grit, and most importantly, their family-like bond. “The relationships we’ve developed on and off the field contribute to our success,” says senior defender McKenzie Nodolf. “Honestly, it started last spring when we strengthened our relationships.” The women spend a lot of time forming relationships with one another. Team dinners and activities are frequent, with Coach Josh Printz putting a lot of emphasis on the relationships between players. “Building relationships early on in the season was impactful. Practices and traveling help us connect and get a lot closer with everyone” Junior midfielder Abby Prunty says.
The women are looking to host for the first time, with the hopes of making it to the National Tournament. “It’s exciting that we are hosting for the first time in the conference tournament, and we are excited and ready and looking forward to seeing everyone excited for us” Prunty said.
On the men’s side, the record-breaking achievements are just as prominent. Finishing with a 7-4 conference record and a 10-4-1 record overall, they tied for most wins in program history and finished the conference with their best overall record. The men secured the third seed in the conference tournament, hosting their first-ever post-season game. “We are a family, this is the closest I’ve been to them” says senior midfielder Kevin Kloss. He says their bond comes from many veteran players playing together for a while and an attitude shift. “People realized that this is where they belong,” Kloss said. “I’m pretty excited we are going to the conference tournament and we are hosting.”
Students can catch the Pride opening up tournament play for the women versus MidAmerica Nazarene on November 5th at 7:00 pm and the men start their tournament journey on November 6th at 7:30 versus Benedictine.