By On Saturday, Oct. 14, the Carroll College women’s soccer team celebrated Senior Day against Southern Oregon University.
The game ended in a 1-1 tie, but the day was one to remember for the seniors on the team.
The Women’s Soccer team has made quite a name for themselves this year.
The team has been led by their three seniors: Natalie Brown, Emily Funseth, and Zoie Koci.
“To me, being a senior means stepping up as a leader in whatever capacity that may entail,” said Brown, an environmental science major from Los Angeles, California.
Under their leadership the Saints have won a total of 10 games, added four ties and lost only once, to College of Idaho 0-3 on Oct. 7. Emily Funseth, a senior sociology and criminology major from Great Falls, Montana, has been named the CCC offensive player of the week three times this season.
Senior Day brought a wide range of emotions celebrating both the men’s and women’s seniors. In total, 10 seniors were honored at the intermission between the two games.
“Senior day was very bittersweet,” said Brown. “Being surrounded by my family, teammates, and coaches made me feel so loved, but it reminded me that my time as a Carroll College women’s soccer player is coming to a close.”
“It was very fun to be a part of the senior day experience,” added Zoie Koci, a senior health science and biology major from Boise, Idaho. “Having my friends, family, and teammates there to support me on my senior day was very meaningful.”
Their final home game ended in a tie with a hard fought battle led by the three seniors.
With their conference play done, and soon heading to Oregon for playoffs, it is important to look back on their remarkable season thus far.
The Lady Saints ended conference play with eight wins, one loss, and three ties, putting them in the number two spot just behind College of Idaho.
“My plans after graduation are to spend a few years wildland firefighting and then use that government work experience to move on to the FBI,” said Funseth. “I would love to spend some time in my 20s traveling as well.”
“I plan to attend PA school in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, or Montana,” added Koci. “Eventually, I would like to become an orthopedic PA.”
Both Funseth and Koci are considering taking their fifth year provided by the Cascade Collegiate Conference due to COVID-19.
“I plan to take a year off to return to work at the Governor’s Office here in Helena,” said Brown. “Afterward, I will attend law school in order to receive my JD.”
They will travel to Springfield, Oregon for their conference tournament on Friday, Oct. 30.
The three seniors look forward to competing in playoffs and hopefully making it to nationals for their last year.
“Being a senior soccer player at Carroll has been a very special and amazing experience,” said Koci. “It has been so much fun to be on the team and see the team succeed and improve for the last four years.”
