With the Southern Utah women’s soccer 2023 spring schedule having been recently announced, let’s take a look back at the T-birds’ record-setting 2022 campaign.
The 2022 SUU soccer season was filled with many highlights that fans, players, and coaches won’t soon forget.
Picked to finish 11th (of 12) in the preseason WAC poll, the T-birds were out to prove the doubters wrong from the start in their first year in the conference.
SUU started the year off with a bang, winning five straight games by a combined score of 22-1. Not only was five wins to open the season the best start in program history, but it was also the longest winning streak ever for the T-birds.
The highlight of the hot start included a 10-0 victory over Mississippi Valley State, the largest-ever single-game win in team history. SUU also set single-season marks for most goals scored (31), shutouts (8), and highest scoring average (1.76 goals per game).
Southern Utah set many other records during the campaign, including winning a single-season record nine games. The winning season (9-6-2) was just the fourth in school history, and the second in just three years under head coach Kai Edwards. What made it even more special was that it was the first time the T-birds ever recorded a winning season with a schedule off all Division I opponents.
As the 2023 season draws ever closer, I asked Coach Edwards about the 2022 team’s record-breaking performance and how the T-birds can look forward to next season.
What record are you most proud of setting during the season?
That’s a really good question. I think when you do something that’s never been done before, I think it’s twofold. A complete turnaround from two wins to nine after going from a one to two-bid conference (NCAA Tournament qualifiers), and then also to have a winning record with all D-I games.
I believe there have been two other winning records, my first year in the 2021 Covid year and then 2007, but both had non-D-I games that got them that winning record. This was the first winning season with an all-D-I schedule.
For me, it’s those two (records), to have arguably one of the biggest turnarounds in the nation and then also do something that 21 other groups have tried but did not do.
What was your favorite moment of the year?
The win versus Stephen F. Austin. Historically (they are) one of the best mid-majors in the country, they won the Southland, won the WAC last year (2021), they win a lot. First to play straight up and then to shut them out (SUU won 1-0) was important, but also to find a way to win versus a team where everyone knows how to win.
It was unbelievable and I have such respect for that program over the years. To be able to win against a program of that stature, I think was huge.
Did you accomplish your goals as a group (in 2022)?
To be honest, (our goal) was to just be competitive and take the next step. We lost a lot of one-goal games last year (2021), so to do better in those games and find ways to score.
We didn’t have like a tangible goal (winning record, making the conference tournament, etc.) it was more to show up every day, and I would say there’s not a game, even the couple of big score games late in the season… we showed up and they were just better.
I think it was awesome to play 20 games and every game mattered, we weren’t out of it until we lost on the last day. Every practice mattered and for them to show up to all of them I thought was awesome.
Was it disappointing to miss the WAC Tournament after being so close to qualifying?
At that moment, because you’re there, you’re 90 minutes away from having a chance, then I think you have to be disappointed because you’re competitive.
In reflection, if you rewind 365 days, would we have taken nine wins in a two-bid conference with getting to the last day competing for a spot? 100 percent.
What kind of an impact did the seniors (Rachael & Julia Hunt, Kate Schirmer) have on the program?
They were workers. They weren’t the queen bee; they were the worker bees that you just completely depend on. They showed up every day and they’re happy people, so they bring a positive environment to your culture, so you knew what was going to happen – good or bad – every day. They were some of the most reliable players I’ve ever been around.
Kate (Schirmer) scoring big goals and getting assists, and even the little soccer stuff. She’s a winger who stays wide, so she creates width for people, and we knew she was going to so the team can move off it because they can trust it.
Both Hunts (Rachael & Julia) were always fit, competitive, and team bonding at their house (they are from Cedar City), they were just workers from Day 1 when they showed up.
They all embodied one of our biggest values which is to develop. I made a point to the team the last game that all three of them did something they had been working on over 2-3 years to be better at and they did it well. They embodied the word development to the last second of the last game, and they just kept growing. I thought them being a role model of ‘this is how you do this well, hard and improved’ was awesome.
What is the goal for 2023? Is it to make the WAC Tournament?
No, it’s not. I would say our non-league schedule is probably tougher, much tougher next year. So, I think it’s taking the next step of competitiveness versus higher level teams and conferences even more than we did (in 2022).
We are losing three big pieces, so filling the void of those, and then it’s just everyone just taking the next step. The majority of our team are freshman and sophomore eligibility-wise, so who are you going to become as a sophomore, junior, or senior? It’s in the spring.
I don’t have a tangible ‘we should make the conference tournament’, I think we need to play every single game and there are teams that are better than us. That doesn’t mean we can’t beat them on a single day, but there are things we have to do, and our school has to do, to close the gap between us and those teams in the next nine months, two years, three years.
Also, beating teams we’ve already beaten, but we snuck up on people (last season). We aren’t sneaking up on people next year. It’s a different situation going to Stephen F. Austin next year knowing they want to beat you by five goals.
Overall, I think it’s just continuing to develop, compete, grow as leaders, and have confidence – our four values – and control what we can with it.
The T-birds kick off their spring schedule against Snow College on Saturday, March 18. The match will take place at 11 a.m. in Cedar City.
