2024 Women's Soccer Season Review
(Ankeny, IA) - Faith Women's Soccer entered the 2024 season with a good mix of young underclassmen and experienced veterans as they competed well and earned their most wins in a season since 2019. Read along for the season review, given from the perspective of Head Coach Zack Barron.
This soccer season, our theme was Steadfast Faith: A Study of James. We used this study in our captain's groups which met once a week during practice. Some of the girls also took the challenge to memorize the book of James throughout the summer and fall. We learned a lot about living out our faith on and off the field. We were challenged to do this through our words and actions, continually making commitments to each other to be trustworthy teammates.
We had a fantastic season, with many new players joining our solid returning core. Highlights included several three-game win streaks, a thrilling last-second goal, and a memorable Senior Day victory. Ultimately, we finished the year in the regional semifinals with an 11-5-1 record.
Individually, we garnered several awards, including two 2nd Team All-Americans (Eliana Fritz and Sharon Yuan), two First Team All-North Region selections (Eliana Fritz and Sharon Yuan), four Honorable Mention North Region players (Evelyn Holbert, Brenna Penrod, Abigail Speichinger, and Kristin Yuan), and seven Scholar Athletes (Brenna Penrod, Kyla Rounds, Eliana Fritz, Sharon Yuan, Abigail Speichinger, Kristin Yuan, and Kayla Stephens). Abigail Speichinger also received the prestigious Joe & Q Harding Award. While we achieved significant accolades this season, our greatest strength and joy as a team was our unity in Christ.
One of the team's favorite memories was Emma Boldt's last-second goal against DCTC. Another cherished moment was our tradition of worshiping God together before each game. We also made great memories simply hanging out as a team off the field—whether at the captains' apartment, a coach's house, a hotel while traveling, or serving together by raking leaves at IRBC.
Looking ahead, the team is excited about our returning core and the promising recruits coming in, which will set a strong foundation for future success. Go, Eagles!
NCCAA Awards:
Joe & Q Harding Award: Abigail Speichinger
Scholar-Athletes: Eliana Fritz, Brenna Penrod, Kyla Rounds, Abigail Speichinger, Kayla Stephens Kristin Yuan, Sharon Yuan
2nd Team All-American: Eliana Fritz, Sharon Yuan
1st Team All-Region: Eliana Fritz, Sharon Yuan
Honorable Mention: Evelyn Holbert, Brenna Penrod, Abigail Speichinger, Kristin Yuan
Team Awards:
Defensive Most Valuable Player: Sharon Yuan
Offensive Most Valuable Player: Eliana Fritz
Most Improved: Emily Edwards
Coaches Award: Evelyn Holbert