SCAD Women’s Soccer Coaches on their No. 5 Ranking: It’s all about bravery, relentlessness, and classiness
Written by Leah Kilde. Photo courtesy of Callie Pearce.
The current success of SCAD’s Women’s Soccer team has been years in the making, we are just fortunate enough to be reaping the benefits now. Coaches Rebecca Gunn and Sinead Byrne discussed the team’s current undefeated streak and national No. 7 ranking on October 10th. Since our conversation, the Bees have moved up to No. 5, which is the best ranking since program start.
To understand the Bees’ success, we have to look back at the previous years. During the 2020-2021 season, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SCAD women’s soccer team boasted a roster of 35 players. A majority of these were underclassmen, giving the coaches a chance to rebuild the team’s culture.
There are specifics that Gunn and Byrne have always looked for when recruiting new team members. SCAD’s philosophy caters to a niche group of individuals looking to pursue creative careers, and that philosophy does not make an exception for athletes. “They have to be creative to be successful here,” said head coach Gunn. “It’s demanding in the classroom. They love what they’re studying, so we don’t have to get onto them on the academic side.”
But what makes the 28 individuals on the current roster perfect for our women’s soccer team? Byrne, associate head coach from England, brings it to the point. “Really, we have three words for on and off the pitch that are very important to us: brave, relentless and classy.” Student-athletes who uphold these three traits in all walks of life are what Gunn and Byrne consider successful.
The first game of the season took place at Campbellsville University in August. The team was working with fresh formation changes that Gunn and Byrne had instituted over the summer. “The defense looked solid from the get-go, and we knew what our attack could be.” It was nerve-wracking when the Campbellsville Tigers scored their first goal against the Bees, but the team stuck with the game and ended up winning 5-2. Since then, SCAD’s women’s soccer team has played 11 more games, all of which they have won – except for the tie against Keiser University last Thursday.
This begs the question: How is the team handling the pressure of being one of three undefeated teams in the country? Byrne tells the players, “Don’t look too far ahead. Take every game as it comes.”
Although the coaches are very focused on the pressure of the upcoming games, I picked their brains on what they hope the conference finals may look like. In the NAIA Sun Conference finals, the highest seed gets to host the assigned conference match. “We’d love to host, obviously. It’s great energy playing at home,” Byrne said. “All the support we’ve gotten this season has been really great.”
Here’s how you can support SCAD’s soccer teams in the upcoming athletic events this month:
SCAD Women’s Soccer plays St. Thomas University Wednesday, October 18th at the SCAD Athletic Complex in Hardeeville, SC.
SCAD Women’s Soccer plays Florida Memorial University Saturday, October 21st at 7 pm at 11 am at the SCAD Athletic Complex in Hardeeville, SC.
SCAD Women’s Soccer plays Webber International University Wednesday, October 25th at 7 pm at the SCAD Athletic Complex in Hardeeville, SC.
SCAD Men’s Soccer plays Southeastern University Saturday, October 28th at 3 pm at the SCAD Athletic Complex in Hardeeville, SC.
Check out the full Fall quarter schedule of SCAD’s athletic teams.
