Ahhh-boom-boom TIU!

TIU Women’s Soccer Sets New Records

by Coley

The Trinity International University Trojans women’s soccer program was ranked number 10 in the National Association of Collegiate Athletics polls yesterday after an explosive week of soccer.

It all started Homecoming weekend when TIU traveled to a neutral site to play their biggest rivalry Robert Morris. Out-of-state family and friends gathered to witness the memorable 4-1 victory and to marvel at the scoring ability of TIU Sophomore Ruth Kratzer who earned a hat-trick.

Kratzer went on to score two more in TIU’s small 5-0 home win against Cardinal Stritch. She was named the NAIA player of the week, an honor that no player in the history of TIU women’s soccer has earned before. Although both games were important conference wins, they were only the prelude to the biggest victory in TIU’s history, a win that caught the attention of the nation.

TIU stunned the defending NAIA women’s soccer champions Martin Methodist Redhawks with a 2-0 shutout. The Redhawks traveled from Tennessee to play on TIU’s home pitch to secure a non-conference away win to earn extra points on their longo rating. But it was the first snowfall of the season, and although Martin Methodist was composed of a dozen talented international players, TIU took full advantage of the home conditions. It was the second loss that Martin Methodist had suffered and the first time they have been held scoreless for over 12 games.

“It’s a milestone win for this program,” said Assistant Coach Ryan Erickson in the post-game huddle. After both teams joined hands and prayed, TIU ran to the touch line to greet and thank their fans. Hugs were all around, smiles were ear to ear, and the Trojans performed their pre-game chant, “Ah-boom-boom TIU!”, before they headed into the locker room.

TIU went on to beat Illinois Institute of Technology 3-2 in Chicago, but ended their 4-game winning streak to a 2-1 upset against Judson College. The Trojans finished their regular conference season in Elgin 6-3, overall 13-4-0.

“You are by far the most talented squad of girls I have coached here at Trinity,” said Head Coach Patrick Gilliam to his team in the Judson College locker room after a tough loss that eliminated them from the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference champion title. Gilliam has been the head coach for the past 11 years and the 10th ranking is the highest that the Trojans have earned in women’s soccer history.

The Trojans season is far from over. They will compete in the CCAC tournament this weekend and still have hope to earn their way to the NAIA Regional and National tournaments and the NCCAA tournament.