Following two ties on their home turf, the Emerson women’s soccer team hoped to end that streak when they faced Bates on Saturday, Sept. 14. Despite physical play from both teams, they kept that streak alive, the scoreboard flashing zeros when the final whistle blew.

“I thought that Bates was a quality side,” head coach David Suvak said. “We competed very well. They had a few opportunities, we had a few opportunities. It would have been nice that we could have put one in the back of the net, but I think gaining a point off a quality team like that, I think that’s a decent result for us.”

Though the team didn’t put any points on the board, their aggressive defense foiled any chances by Bates and even secured three blocked shots in the first half alone.

“I thought we defended very well,” Suvak said. “We’re working on defending, being very organized and disciplined. So, I think committing to limiting shots on our frame is one of the things we’re talking about and working on.”

But aside from team defense, Suvak has also focused on the forward position, which is notably empty given the departures of Jessica Saavedra, Gina Lukoskie, and Brittney Righetti, who all graduated last spring.

“We have built a strong foundation, building out of the back and through the middle of the field, and now creating solutions in the final third,” he said. “We need to just polish that up as we start our NEWMAC journey.” 

Senior midfielder Maddie Khaw echoed a similar sentiment when it came to the team’s offense, which will require a tune-up prior to Emerson’s conference opener at Smith next Saturday, Sept. 21, at 4 p.m.

“We’re just gonna try to really lock in on getting our attack right, finding different ways to score and just make sure that next Saturday—when we start conference [play]—we can really come out and get some goals and win,” she said.

For a competitive squad two years removed from a NEWMAC championship, untrained eyes may be concerned at Emerson’s 1-2-3 start to the season. That is, until they consider the high level of competition the Lions have faced in the last few weeks.

Suvak is adopting the same approach he had last season, putting his team through a gauntlet of non-conference opponents in preparation for a rugged NEWMAC schedule. In between their season-opening win against Gettysburg and recent ties against Gordon and Endicott, the Lions faced two nationally-ranked opponents: Misericordia University—which was No. 8 at the time of their match—and Tufts University—ranked No. 4.

“I want to put the team under the right circumstances so we can learn at a very fast pace,” Suvak said. “We’re hoping that it all starts to come together as we start the NEWMAC.”

Though Khaw acknowledged that the recent slate of games was “really difficult,” she also noted how facing elite competition prepares the team well for in-season competition.

“We faced some of the hardest teams in the country, and it’s important for us to practice against that level of team so we can bring that level to our conference.” Khaw said.

The Lions fell short of defending their first ever NEWMAC title, losing to Babson in the conference semifinals last November, 2-1, in double overtime. It’s a result that, according to both Suvak and Khaw, acts as motivation heading into this year.

Khaw said that, while the team is just as hungry to get back to that championship feeling, last season’s outcome provided a key lesson that was apparent in results like Saturday’s.

“Games like [the NEWMAC semifinals], that we shouldn’t lose, we have to capitalize and make sure we win,” she added. “Games like this that we shouldn’t tie, capitalize and make sure we win … We definitely want to come back and get to the championship this year, and just make sure that we don’t give up early before we’re able to make that happen.”

“A lot of those upperclassmen, they want—not redemption against Babson, specifically—but they want to accomplish something,” Suvak said. “They want to make the playoffs, they want to earn home field advantage, they want to go as deep as they can and see if [the team] can get to the finals. They’ve seen that, and they want it back again.”

Following three straight road games, the Lions return to Rotch Field to face Coast Guard on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 1 p.m.