The Goshen College women’s soccer team has welcomed several new faces to the team this season.

On the team, there are seven first-years and two transfers, as well as a new assistant coach, Ariana Stoltzfus

Stoltzfus brings a winning culture to GC, as she formerly played for Spring Arbor, a Crossroads League rival to the Maple Leafs. While playing for the Cougars, she went to nationals and then played professional soccer in Australia.

The Leafs have opened the season with a record of 3-4-1, improving their record from their previous two seasons which both ended with only one win.

The college officially hired Stoltzfus in August. Stoltzfus said, “Dwight [Gingerich] and Justin [Crew] reached out and asked if  I’d be interested in helping out, and I just wanted to help in any way that I could. I like being around college soccer.” She also noted some of her motivations to come into a program like GC’s, mentioning how challenging the conference they are in currently is. She said this program has the potential to be a contender and to produce quality play.

The current upperclassmen, along with the help of first-years and transfers that have taken starting positions on the field, have helped elevate the team’s play this year. Senior captain midfielder Natalie Boulier said, “We’ve had two freshmen score goals across multiple games. So, I think our recruits and our underclassmen and upperclassmen stepping into positions they’ve never played before has been a big help.”

The two first-years that have scored their first career goals for the team are forward Johannah McDonald and midfielder Jemima Potter, who now have scored two goals each.

Goalkeeper Hailey Ballast, who transferred to GC from New College of Florida, initially started on the bench, but soon became a starter. She recorded 10 saves, including a penalty save, against Indiana University South Bend and found a second straight penalty save in the following game against Holy Cross.

Boulier said that the team has been both consistent and gritty throughout their games. Stoltzfus said, “If you’re down one or two to nothing at halftime, you still have 45 minutes. … [Soccer] can be a game of runs, and it can be a game of momentum.” She said that reminding the players that there’s always time to score has been crucial.

Boulier said that she’s already seen success and improvement in the team just because the players have shown up every game. “We were losing 2-1 to Cleary at halftime and then just completely pulled through with the 3-2 win.” Boulier said. “It was the same thing with our game on Saturday. We were losing 1-0 until the 86th minute and then we pulled out a goal with four minutes left.”

Stoltzfus said she has emphasized the players’ lives outside of soccer. “One of the big things of championship winning culture is that you really focus on the person before the player,” Stoltzfus said. “It can be hard for them to really believe that or think that, especially when you’re so focused on results.”

“The goal throughout the season is to continuously get better. Because it’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Stoltzfus said.