ATHENS, Tenn. – As the temperature is beginning to cool, the Tennessee Wesleyan Women’s Soccer team is heating up on the field with determination that appears destined for greatness. The TWU women’s Soccer team continues to put on a show each week, posting a record of 3-0-1. With the team getting stronger, and the opponents getting tougher, the Bulldogs have a chance to make a name for themselves in the 2023 season.
The Bulldog’s have taken command this fall by dominating in preseason scrimmages and starting the year off undefeated within their conference. The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) ranked the TWU Women’s Soccer third out of the 15 other teams they will compete against. With only two conference games so far, the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 10-0. With the big conference win against Montreat under their belt, the Bulldogs secured another shutout win Wednesday against Johnson University giving the Bulldogs a record of 2-0 in conference play.
Standout players such as Laia Rochet, Krista Hadditor and Layrn Smith have been huge weapons for the Bulldogs. The Junior attacker out of Husavik, Iceland, Krista Hardittoir has been a star for the women’s soccer team. In her career, she has cashed in 34 goals in just 27 games started. This season she has led the team with 5 goals in the past two conference games, tallying 7 goals in total. Rochet and Smith have been holding it down on the defensive side with Rochet having 12 saves and 0 goals against so far this season and Smith making sure the defense holds strong.
After meeting with the three standout players, they were asked what has made them so successful thus far with all three stating “we always play to our advantage and not try to change because of the opponent. We will always play to our strengths and press with the players who will give us the best chances to win the ball back and play quickly.”. After speaking with these three it is clear the Bulldogs will continue to heat up the field in these next upcoming games. Looking forward, the Bulldogs will face number 22 nationally ranked Truett McConnell down in Cleveland, Georgia, Saturday at 2pm.
Story by Robert Holekamp, Jackson Lollis, and Dan Thornton
Photos by Tessa Lewis and Jackson Lollis
The Bulldog Beat 