Not only are athletics back in full effect at Sonoma State, but the Seawolves are looking great in multiple sports. The women’s soccer team has been standing out in particular, due to dominant performances on the field. Their games have earned them a spot in the top 25 of all D2 women’s soccer programs in the nation. Unitedsoccercoaches.org released their new national rankings on Sept. 14 and the Seawolves were sitting at 14th.

The women’s soccer team earned this ranking by going 3-1 so far this season via sonomaseawolves.com. They have won games against Fresno Pacific University, Dominican University, and Western Oregon University. During these three games they outscored their opponents 10-0. They’re lone loss of the season came during a game against Western Washington University, where the Seawolves were defeated 2-1. According to unitedsoccercoaches.org, Western Washington ranks 8th in the country, so they were clearly some stiff competition.

Head coach, Emiria Salzmann, attributes her team’s high level of play to the fact that they have a strong team culture that is focused on excellence. She says that the team has high expectations and they are willing to push each other to get there. This team certainly has a lot of talent and have set their goals accordingly.

“Our ultimate goal is to win,” Salzmann said. “Win our conference, win the region, and win a national championship.”

To have a national championship in mind, the Seawolves definitely have a lot of talent on their roster. Salzmann stated that the two captains, Julia Pritchard and Krissy Keller, have both been great leaders and players on and off the field. Salzmann also mentioned that the team’s leading goal scorer, Molly Murphy, has been great this season, and seems to just be getting better as the weeks go on. 

In order to build a winning program like this one, everything has to start on the practice field. The Seawolves practice four to five times a week for two hours, and three of those days they do an additional hour of strength and conditioning. They also regularly have team meetings, film sessions, and study halls. Throughout the semester the team will have a few individual meetings and leadership council meetings.

With a team this talented, Salzmann understands how heartbreaking it would be to lose the season to a COVID-19 outbreak. For this reason the women’s soccer team is taking all the precautions to make sure they can reach their goals this season. They have encouraged players to limit their social circles, and as a result have socialized less as a team outside of practice and film sessions. This team is willing to make the sacrifices to make sure that they are able to finish their season.

After a long year, it is great to see the Seawolf sports teams back out on the field, especially when they are playing at this high of level. All soccer games are open to the public and students, so grab a mask and go support them play. Their next home game is this Saturday, September 25th, against San Francisco State.