By MIKE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
There's a special feeling around the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point women's soccer team these days.
The Pointers, arguably UW-SP's most successful program, are one game away from the NCAA Division 3 Final Four after last weekend's sweep of two of the nation's top 10 teams.
"There's something very magical about this team and I can't put a finger on it," coach Sheila Miech said.
UW-SP's opponents are having a hard time figuring out the Pointers too. The team has the most victories in the nation, in Division 3 with 21 and the Pointers have outscored their opponents 72-3 during their school-record 15 game winning streak.
That streak will be tested in the school's first trip to the "Elite Eight" Saturday, at noon, at Salisbury State (Md.) The Sea Gulls are the nation's only unbeaten team (20-0-2) and the winner moves on to the national semifinal round.
"All you need is one goal to win and then you play a defensive style," Miech said. "I think we're going to have a little advantage because we had to play (last) Wednesday, Friday and Saturday."
The circumstances surrounding the huge victories last Friday over Macalester (Minn.) and Saturday over Wheaton (Ill.) - which came after last Wednesday's 7-0 first-round win over Edgewood College - makes the NCAA Central Regional wins more impressive.
Both teams have had UW-SP's number in the past. Wheaton had beaten the Pointers six straight times, including a 3-2 Wheaton win Sept. 19. Macalester, who had appeared in the last two national title games, led the all-time series over UW-SP, 10-3, and shutout the Pointers, 1-0, Sept. 16.
While staring history in the face, UW-SP also overcame a traumatic bus accident Thursday en route to Wheaton. A tow truck hit the team's bus as the bus was curving onto the I-90-94 on-ramp at Portage. The bus crashed into the guard rail, breaking the bus' windows and sending broken glass into the bus. No one was injured, but the team had to wait for another bus from Wisconsin Rapids and didn't arrive in Wheaton until about 11 p.m.
"Life is adversity," Miech said. "Life isn't always going to go your way."
Instead of dining out at a nice restaurant before the Macalester game, Miech said the team ate at a truck stop.
UW-SP dropped Macalester the next day, when Stevens Point Area Senior High graduate Margaret Domka scored a first half goal to give the Pointers a 1-0 victory.
Facing the Wheaton Thunder Saturday, Molly Cady took a pass from Andrea Oswald and scored on a 20-yard turnaround for the game's only goal, with 9:51 left in the first half.
Wheaton outshot the Pointers 20-8 but many were from long range and those that were close were saved by goalie Abby Rabinovitz, who finished with six stops.
The Thunder had a chance to tie the game midway through the second half. All-American Rebecca Mouw sent a shot at UW-SP's net, but the ball ricocheted off the post right into the hands of Rabinovitz.
The Pointers used the accident as motivation in the Wheaton game, Miech said. "I told the team before the game that we've got to find something bigger than 'Thunder.' One of our fans had a sign saying something like, 'They might have 'Thunder,' but our truck is more powerful.'"
When the pressure mounted late in the second half, with Wheaton trying to tie the game, Miech said the UW-SP fans came through and were louder than the home team's fans. "When it got tough, you could hear the crowd chanting, 'Let's go white, let's go white,'" she said.
The team's run in the postseason is almost more amazing to those outside the program, considering the team lost eight seniors to graduation, including four All-WIAC performers.
"It might have been beyond everyone's expectations," Miech said. "I think people doubted how long it would take to come together.
"We had a group of players last year that waited patiently for playing time. They deserve all the credit."
This season's playoff success is unprecedented in the program's history, a history that includes six WIAC championship teams. The 2000 team's three postseason victories are more than in the program's previous six tournament appearances combined.
"There was a goal set last year that we wanted to play better at the end of the year," Miech said. "Last year we had a great team, but we had a hard time maintaining our level of play after a good start.
"This year we had great performances at the beginning and then we lost a couple of games. That brought us back to being focused."
All of UW-SP's eyes are now on Salisbury State, and with a win against the Sea Gulls, the Pointers would face either Tufts (N.Y.) and William Smith (N.Y.) next Saturday in the national semifinal. Trinity (Texas) takes on Williamette (Ore.) and The College of New Jersey meets Ohio Wesleyan in the other bracket this weekend. The four winners would then meet at the site of one of the four schools for the Final Four.