For any college sports team, it is one of the biggest goals they are presented with at the start of the season: making the playoffs. It marks an accomplished season, no matter the playoff results, and the Chapman women’s soccer team was able to revel in achieving that objective this year. 

With five wins, four losses and three ties in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), the team made the playoffs as the fourth seed. Although the season ended with a loss to California Lutheran University, the women’s soccer team can hold their heads high after a successful season. This was a year that included memorable moments, such as a last minute goal by Andrea Aldama to beat Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges and a 2-0 win over rival team Redlands, qualifying Chapman for the playoffs.

Courtney Calderon, who has been the head coach at Chapman for almost two decades, reflected on what made her team tick this season.

Junior communication studies major Stella Bauman, who is a forward on the team, echoed a similar sentiment to her coach.

“Our team has so much heart and so much love for the game of soccer,” Bauman said. “We have been through so many ups and downs throughout our season, and playoffs would not have been possible without full commitment and love for playing soccer.”

Bauman also talks about the ways Calderon motivated the team throughout the season.

“Something Coach Calderon does to help motivate and prepare us is always trying to keep us positive in a win-mentality,” Bauman said. “On Thursday, before the semi-final game (against Cal Lutheran), she told us to win everything we do leading up to the game, whether that was winning your test, your coffee order or your walk to school. And I think keeping us in that mindset really helped us throughout the season.”

Even though the team lost in the playoffs, Calderon has an interesting perspective on the season. Given that she has made multiple NCAA tournaments in her time at Chapman and has seen all the sport has to offer, she has a unique understanding of what “success” is.

The women’s soccer team has a lot to be proud of for this season. A moment that many players found truly special was graduate student Andrea Aldama’s game-winning goal on Senior Night. Junior integrated educational studies major and defender Serena Lovell expanded on what the moment meant for the team.

“My favorite moment from this season has to be when Andrea Aldama scored in the last 40 seconds of her senior game to beat Claremont on our home field.” Lovell said. “We were all so excited and happy for (her). I even had tears in my eyes from being so hyped. That whole day (Senior Day) was just a great representation of the family dynamic on our team. I’ll remember (her) goal and that win forever.”

Aldama, who is studying law and plays defense for the team, spoke with The Panther about how special that goal was for her and what it meant to score it.

“The last minute goal against CMS was the absolute highlight of my career,” Aldama said. “For it to have been on Senior Day, and this being my last year playing collegiate soccer, it was an absolute honor to have been able to do that, especially when we needed a win in order to still have a shot at playoffs. It made every practice, every game, every training I have ever done since the beginning of my soccer career worthwhile.”

That is what this team built throughout the year: a long-lasting connection. Sports are about the people who play them, and the women’s soccer team found success by leaning on one another.

“The girls and the staff are what made this season special,” Aldama told The Panther. “I believe our bond was greater than ever, and it felt like I knew these girls for years, even though it was only a year and some were actually only three months.”

Ultimately, the journey the women’s soccer team went through this year will only bond the team for future seasons. Next year, they’ll look to finish with a higher seed and make a deeper run in the postseason. But for now, they can appreciate what was accomplished this year.