The Ocelots’ road to a National Championship came to an end on Nov. 19 despite an impressive 1-0 victory over the No.4 Phoenix College. The team finished the season with an 11-3-2 record, going 1-1 in the national tournament.
Coach Ken Shingledecker praised the team’s spirit and quality, saying they were more than “ready to make some noise at the national tournament” —and his words certainly proved true.
The Ocelot’s wanted to end the 2024 campaign on a positive note after a 3-1 opening loss to Holmes Community College. And they did just that.
The game against Phoenix College turned out to be tightly contested, but it was none other than Jessica Clyde who gave them a 1-0 lead.
In the 34th minute Clyde took a freekick from the left hand side of the goal, just outside the penalty box. With power behind her shot, she launched the ball towards the goal. Though her shot was not well placed, it was difficult for Pheonix goalkeeper to judge. As a result, the ball slipped through her fingers and crossed the goal linel. Although the Ocelots had no chance for advancing into the semifinals, the celebration knew no bounds.
Ending the first half with the lead, they held tightly as Phoenix College, ranked No. 4, kept attacking. Schoolcraft goalkeeper Kate Shippe, and the defense in front of her were able to keep the score intact securing the upset. Shingledeckers prediction of “making noise” at the Nationals came true.
The Ocelots end the 2024 season with an overall record of 11-3-2 (5-1-1 in their conference) and an incredible appearance at the NJCAA National Tournament.
Especially their home record of 7-0 shows their strength on familiar turf.
If the team continues on this path into next season and works on making adjustments, expect the team to make it to the national tournament for the fourth straight year and maybe even make it past the group stage.
Schoolcraft 1 Holmes Community College 3
On November 18, all eyes were on the Ocelots, when they started the NJCAA National Tournament against Holmes Community College. The Ocelots played an evenly matched game. Nevertheless, Holmes got the lead in the 11th minute. However, Schoolcraft did not hesitate to make the score even.
In the 15th minute, Jessica Clyde tied the game with a corner kick directly going into the back of the net. The statistics of the first half were in favor of the Ocelots, managing 7 shots on target.
However, the team were unable to carry over their strong performance from the first half into the second, which is why Holmes began to put more and more pressure on the goal.
In the 53rd minute, Homes took the lead again and with only one minute left on the clock, they made it 3-1.
This left the Women’s Soccer Team with a loss and with no chances of making it to the semifinals of the National tournament.
