A win, a loss and a tie -- Titans doing it all as Oakland match nears

Freshman goaltender Marisa Silver held IUPUI scoreless through two overtimes. / Photo courtesy of Detroit Titans Sports Info

BY ARI CHESTERMAN / VN STAFF WRITER

In their first three games, the Titans have experienced all of the outcomes possible in women's soccer: a victory, a loss and a tie.

Participating in the Horizon League, Detroit Mercy beat Youngstown State, fell to Wright State and deadlocked against IUPUI.

But it’s better than not playing at all.

“I am most excited that we are getting a season,” said Madelyn Rush, a junior defensive player. “I worried that with the pandemic it would be delayed till next year.”

This was a common concern among players, that the season would not happen due to Covid-19.

The season may be on at this point, but no one is taking it for granted.

Kelli Doyle is a senior midfielder and captain of the team.

“I do feel like the school and Horizon League are taking proper precautions,” she said. “We have to wear masks while practicing and get tested weekly.”

One of the hardest parts of playing a sport during Covid-19 is the mask wearing.

Doyle noted that none of the players had previously played with masks, so it was an adjustment but also funny for everyone to struggle through it together.

Carlie Castiglione, a junior goalkeeper, said she was most excited to start playing games again because everything was on pause.

She remained nervous about one of the other players getting Covid and disrupting the season, but all are doing their best to keep each other safe.

“Even though this year has been full of ups and downs, I think we’ve worked hard enough through it all,” she said.

The Titans’ next game will be March 3, and it will be a big one, against the Oakland University Grizzlies.

“Oakland is our rival and that game is always tough and typically the one we look forward to the most,” Rush said.

An important aspect of any team sport is building bonds between players, and that has been difficult during the pandemic, according to the players.

“We can’t hang out outside of soccer,” said Rush. “But our team is basically like we are all one big family and the virus hasn’t stopped us from connecting safely on Zoom, SnapChat or texting outside of practice to stay connected with each other.”

Doyle shared a similar sentiment.

“I think our whole team does a great job at taking on responsibilities and are always being willing to go above and beyond...,” Doyle said, “which means they make my job easy at trying to motivate and encourage them. I think this year we all have done a great job at supporting one another and not just me.”