The Bulldogs finished 10-4-5 last season and third in the Big East. Photo by Alison Skowronek. 

CALEB BALL | STAFF REPORTER | cdball@butler.edu

The women’s soccer team has established a reputation for success with a record of 143-73-39 since 2012. Co-head coaches Tari St. John and Rob Alman have had success alongside each other, but the past does not matter to this team.

Last season ended with a penalty shootout loss against DePaul in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament.

“Everyone’s season is going to end with a loss, except for one,” St. John said. 

It never proves successful to hang one’s hat on the past, nor one game, and this season has loads of excitement in store. 

The Big East is a very competitive conference, yet Butler has not backed down from the challenge. It finished third in the Big East last season, and the Bulldogs’ bark is not going to get any quieter. 

St. John believes this team came in ready this season. One key difference maker has been the addition of the eight first-years to the Bulldogs’ roster this fall. 

“There’s a little bit of a sink or swim, and it happens in a really condensed couple of weeks,” St. John said. “Are these freshmen going to be able to help us in the first half of the season, or is it going to take longer? We’ve seen with several of them their ability to play at this level and not only just survive and keep their head above water, but they’re helping us win games.”

With that level of readiness mixed with a high caliber of play from returning players, confidence is high within the team. One of those returning players is senior forward Talia Sommer, who led the Big East in points last year with 1.53 points per game. 

With 29 points, Sommer is tied for sixth all-time in the Butler record books. She has aspirations to continue playing soccer professionally after this season. Although the trophies and records look nice on the shelf, Sommer prefers victories overall. 

“I play for my team, not for the accolades,” Sommer said. “It’s a nice little plus, but it’s not something that I’m too worried about.”

Sommer showing the team-first mentality is a prime example of what is to come from the rest of the squad this season. 

Another returning senior, defender Amelie Darey, had two game-winning goals against opponents last year but focused on how well the team communicates. 

“In our [team] culture, defending is very appreciated,” Darey said. “We know you have to score a goal at the end of the day to win a game, but a shootout wins games overall. Our communication through the back line has kept us together. You wouldn’t know there’s a difference between last year’s back line and this year’s.”

The culture of this year’s team can be boiled down to one word: selfless.

Team success comes before personal accolades, and individual achievements are celebrated as a team. There is not one player who is bigger than another, and St. John and Alman have instilled a system that promotes team chemistry and communication. The first-year players exemplify this beautifully.

“All of those freshmen were starters for the last 10-12 years,” St. John said. “So the ability, not even just to be playing at our level, but the mental makeup to be able to come off the bench when, and you don’t know when that is, is also something that can derail a freshman a little bit. And so far, they check both boxes in terms of just being able to compete at this level and to have the mental makeup to be able to adapt and come off the bench and give us good minutes.”

The Bulldogs’ season has already started, and it has done so with a 2-0-1 record. They seek to improve that record and prepare for Big East competition, which starts less than a month away on Sept. 20 against Marquette. 

Despite the competitive nature of the Big East, the Dawgs do not give any more attention to conference opponents than they do to other teams.

“You try to take it one by one, game by game,” Darey said. “The next game ahead is Northwestern on Sunday.”

Taking things one game at a time and keeping the past in the past are two takeaways from this team. Not fixating on one certain aspect is keeping their team composed and competitive. This soccer team has all of the ingredients to cook up another winning season, and they are looking for a championship dessert.