Quote Sheet: Gallimore, Softli, Schoening
No. 18 UW women's soccer got its fifth straight win and third straight shutout Friday night in Salt Lake against Utah behind Jaclyn Softli's 61st-minute game-winner and 10th goal of the season. Head coach Lesle Gallimore and seniors Softli and Stine Schoening talk about the win.
UW head coach LESLE GALLIMORE
On her initial thoughts about the 1-0 win over Utah:
“That was a tough game to play in. Utah doesn’t lose at home very often. We haven’t had great luck here, like a lot of other teams. (Utah head coach) Rich (Manning) has a really well coached, organized team. They’ve got dynamic kids up front. I thought Megan Kufeld played really well today and our whole back line did a pretty good job of keeping them out of the back of our net. In the beginning of the game we were letting them split our defense a little bit too easily and it was dangerous. We shored that up as the half went on and in the second half, it wasn’t even an issue.”
More on the defensive effort as the Huskies earned their third straight shutout:
“We played really well defensively against a fast, athletic team that tended to play a lot of direct balls. I was a little surprised, to be honest, with how many balls they played forward. Again, we defended and won second balls and were able to possess the ball better as the game wore on.”
On the offensive play and Jaclyn Softli scoring her 10th goal of the year:
“We didn’t get as many shots on frame as I thought we could’ve, but we were patient enough and it’s turning out to be typical of our team to grind things out and find a way. I thought Jaclyn (Softli) played okay, I don’t think she had her best game. Her touch was maybe off a little bit. But at the end of the day, great players score goals when you need them. Shannon (Simon) played a great ball to her, she took a great touch a finished it. She almost had a second one. I’m really super proud of her. I’m really proud of our team.”
On the play of midfielders Kate Bennett, Christina Archer and Amanda Perez:
“Kate Bennett continues to be a ridiculous engine for us in the midfield. Chris is as solid as can be and I thought Amanda had one of her better games today and was able to help us keep possession and defend in the midfield. That threesome in there, that’s a lot of work. From a physical standpoint, I’m really happy with the group.”
On three straight shutouts after posting just three through the first 13 games:
“That’s a team effort. We always talk about being a great defensive team so we don’t have to do it as much. Defend really well so you can have the ball more often. I thought that was the case tonight. We defended well enough to have the ball as the game wore on and string more passes together. We talk about that all the time. Early in the season, we were giving up soft goals because sometimes that happens, but we’ve corrected some things, players have gotten better and they trust each other more. I’m really proud of how they’re playing together. If you defend together you’re going to get a lot of shutouts. It’s just been a solid team effort from front to back.”
On Sunday’s upcoming game against Colorado:
“It’s going to be the same outlook we’ve had the whole season, which is to just focus on the next game. The Cougars beat Colorado today, and if you’re going into a team on their home field after they’ve lost a game, you’ve got to prepare for that because they are going to out desperate to beat us. Physically we’ve got to recover. The altitude is the elephant in the room, but we talk about it and we’re doing everything we can to recover quickly. We’ve got to do all we can to get ready for Sunday and go 1-0 against yet another really good Pac-12 team.”
UW forward JACLYN SOFTLI
On her 61st-minute game-winner, her 10th of the year:
“I’m not really sure of the build up, I don’t really remember. Shannon played a good ball in behind their defense and it went by one of their defenders and I was right there. The goalie didn’t come out at me so I turned and hit it, and thankfully it went it. Barely.”
On the team’s current five game winning streak:
“With the momentum we have, winning has become a habit for us. It wasn’t the prettiest game by any means. I had a terrible game, myself, but when you’re on a roll like that you find a way to win. Winning is a habit and we’re going to keep it that way, hopefully.”
On what’s ahead for the Huskies:
“We’ve got four games left. We have a big weekend next weekend, trying to get points out of that one, but we’re going to focus on Sunday, get that win and go from there.”
UW defender STINE SCHOENING
On the defensive performance in the Huskies’ third straight shutout:
“I think it’s a collective effort. It starts with the forwards and our midfield has been playing awesome defensively. In the back line, we’ve been gritty and we’ve been compact and a good unit. It’s a collective effort. And Megan (Kufeld) of course has been on fire.”
On the five wins and momentum going forward:
“Five wins in the Pac-12, in such a good conference, that’s huge for us. Confidence-wise, I feel like we are playing better and better each game. We want to be on the upswing going into the tournament. We’re sitting in a good spot and we just want to keep adding on to that number.”