“The fact that we have so many people who do play year-round together, we have this bond. Everyone has played together for so long, that helps us in our season and our play,” said senior goal keeper Eva Mace.

Good possession and fast strikers help, too. Plus their back line is tough. In their last six games, they’ve held opponents scoreless.

“We come out here with the mindset that we have to put in all of the work if we want to translate that into games. We have a lot of competitions within the teams, like competing to see who can score the most,” said Samantha Bourgeois, senior goal keeper.

They’re competing at a high level without one of their best players from last season, Kristen Nuss. The LSU Sand Volleyball signee is focusing on that and being a standout basketball player.

“So staying out here is a little rough. I understand the decision, of course, not to come out here, because she needs to be safe,” said Coach Petru, “With us losing her, we just have 24 players who all want to do well. So the competition right here is intense.”

“I think she’s a great individual, but now we’re a great team. Obviously, she would have been a great asset to our team this year. But, I think we’ve definitely found a way to come together,” said Hope Hoffman, junior striker.

Not only do the Cubs have depth on their team, but another strength is also how young their squad is. They have seven starters who are sophomores.

“They are such a strong group, that it makes our team even better,” said Katherine Dehoog, senior center back.

The young core is playing for their seniors.