The Wayland Baptist women's soccer team has crossed off several goals and accomplished a number of program firsts this season, and the latest arrives Saturday night when the Pioneers host a Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament match. After ending the regular season with a 5-0 win over Southwestern Christian University on Saturday, the Pioneers (12-6, 7-3 SAC) moved into third place in the SAC standings, earning the right to host their first match of the three-round tournament.
"Hosting a SAC Tournament match is a big deal," WBU head coach
Shiloh Posey said. "The girls seem really excited to play at home. It's always better playing in front of your home crowd…it's a big deal for us."
Wayland will host the sixth-seeded University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (6-10, 5-5) at 7 p.m. Saturday at J.V. Hilliard Field for its opening-round match. The Pioneers defeated the Drovers, 3-1, in Chickasha, Okla. on Oct. 1, but Posey isn't going to let his team focus on what they've done in the past while trying to prepare for the future.
"USAO is always tough," he said. "We were fortunate when we played them last. We played well and got a couple of lucky breaks, but looking at the schedule, (USAO) has looked strong over their last couple of matches."
The Drovers have gone 5-2 their last seven matches, narrowly missing out on another win against No. 20 Oklahoma City on Nov. 1 before winning their last match of the year over Northwood on Tuesday, 3-0.
"We're going to do what we do," Posey said of his game plan for Saturday. "We're going to move the ball and move forward into our offense quickly.
"USAO is a good team and we're going to have to respect them. They'll have good and bad things happen to them throughout the match. What we need to do is try to take advantage of any mistakes they make and minimize our mistakes."
Throughout the season, Posey has talked about a journey that the Pioneers have embarked upon this fall. Entering a single-elimination tournament like this one, Posey kept a balance of urgency and consistency over the past week to prepare his squad for the final chapter of that journey.
"From here on it's a one-game season," he said. "There's no second chances, no 'we'll get them next week.' We have to do it today. We've added more situational stuff at practice, putting time limits, etc., to create a sense of urgency. We need to develop an attitude and a mentality to get the job done every time.
"At the same time, though, we've gone about our daily business and kept everything at a regular pace and environment so that we can stay relaxed and focused."
With the anticipation of the big match, Posey said his team is handling the situation well and is ready to play.
"The girls are focused and ready," he said. "They have a sense of excitement and energy that they've brought to the field this week. We're in a position that we've never been in, and you could say that Saturday's match is the biggest in the program's history. The girls are excited about that."
The Pioneers ask that all of their supporters come out Saturday night.
"We want to encourage anyone and everyone who knows these girls, whether they're soccer fans or not, to come to the match on Saturday," Posey said. "The greater energy that there is in the stands, the better we'll play. Any and all support will be appreciated."
