Women's Soccer | 12/6/2020 1:35:00 PM

One year ago today – December 6 – the Bloomsburg University women's soccer team found itself playing against a conference rival in a city four hours away – and in a bubble – with the Atlantic Regional championship and a trip to the Elite Eight on the line. It was arguably the most surreal of environments either team had ever had to endure.
 
That opponent was West Chester, and the city was Albany, New York. Oh, and the bubble was precisely that – a bubble dome at Afrim's Sports Park in Colonie – just minutes from the New York state capital's downtown area. The College of Saint Rose was the host of the Atlantic Region and East Region title matches, with the winners meeting in the NCAA quarterfinals two days later. Due to a heavy snowstorm that saw feet of snow pummel the Albany area earlier in the week, the tournament was moved indoors so that it could proceed as planned.
 
To add more fuel to the fire, roughly three weeks before the contest – at Steph Pettit Stadium – the Golden Rams knocked off the Huskies by a 2-1 score in double overtime in the opening round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament. That loss erased Bloomsburg's chance at winning back-to-back conference championships as the Huskies claimed the 2018 title by knocking off East Stroudsburg. That victory secured Bloomsburg's first PSAC championship since 2002.
 
The two arch-rivals took a little while to get used to the surroundings as neither team generated much in the way of offense during the first thirty minutes of action. Both teams had a couple of scoring chances, but it wouldn't be until the 35th minute before the scoreboard was dented. West Chester struck first to take a 1-0 advantage – but its lead would be extremely short-lived.
 
Adding to the Hollywood-type script, redshirt senior Bryce Watts (Etters, Pa./Red Land) tied the match at 1-1 just 90 seconds later with her second goal of the season. What made the goal even more special was that Watts had recovered from three major knee surgeries during her playing career, including her last one that occurred a little over a year earlier in a match at Kutztown.
 
Then sophomore Nicole Varano (Mt. Carmel, Pa./Mt. Carmel) provided what proved to be the dagger with just under six minutes left in regulation to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead. Varano had enjoyed a breakout second season with the Huskies as it was her tenth goal of the year and sixth game-winner. But, this one was the biggest of her young career.
 
When the final buzzer echoed inside the bubble, Bloomsburg had claimed its second consecutive Atlantic Regional Championship and moved on to the Elite Eight for the second straight year – a fantastic accomplishment considering the Huskies had never reached that pinnacle since the program's inception in 1990. By the way, the last team to win back-to-back Atlantic Regional titles was – you guessed it – West Chester in 2006 and 2007.

Two days later, Bloomsburg's run at a Hollywood ending came up a goal short at the bubble hosts' hands, The College of Saint Rose. The Huskies finished the 2019 season with an 18-3-1 record, with their 18 wins tying the program record for most victories in a season. The previous record was originally established in 1996 when the Huskies went 18-3-1 under Hall of Fame coach Chuck Laudermilch. Meanwhile, the Huskies' 35 wins over the last two seasons set a new program record.
 
Regardless of the final in the Elite Eight, it took nothing away from another tremendous run in the postseason - and a second consecutive regional title. Despite the unusual conditions and the bizarre circumstances, the match could not have gone any better for the Huskies. And, for those who were part of the contest – student-athletes, staff, coaches, parents, fans – there is a story to tell for the rest of their lives. Below are some thoughts from a handful of individuals who played a significant role in the outcome.

MATT HANEY, HEAD WOMEN'S SOCCER COACH
Appearing in the NCAA's for the second year in a row was quite an honor for our program. After our PSAC quarterfinal loss to West Chester, we knew we would play again. We didn't know when or where. Fortunately, our regular-season success paid off as we were named the first seed in the Atlantic Region. After an 11-day layoff, we opened with a 4-0 victory over an outstanding Millersville team setting up a clash for a second regional title against who else but West Chester.
 
As we prepared to face West Chester in Albany, Albany was hit with a massive snowstorm which ended up forcing us to play the match inside. I believe I found out about the change of match site on the bus ride to Albany. True to our form, we didn't panic. We just prepared to play.
 
Match day was like no other. Even under strange circumstances, both teams came ready to play. We had gone 1-1-1 against each other during the season, so the fourth meeting was for season bragging rights and an Atlantic Regional title. What more could you ask for?
 
The match itself was choppy due to the unfamiliar environment and small field dimensions. We conceded first but scored almost immediately after their goal. Both teams traded punches for the remainder of the match, with us landing the winning blow with around five minutes to play. The last five were hectic, but when the final horn sounded, the bench appeared a bit shell-shocked, and I looked at them and said, 'Get out there on that field and celebrate like Regional Champions because you are!' Boarding the bus and continuing our celebration was amazing. It was a great ride back to the hotel.
 
Oddly enough, my most proud moment leading up to and through the Regional Final match went back to that PSAC Quarterfinal match. Immediately after we lost on our field in sudden victory, our team as a whole moved over to the sideline, watched West Chester celebrate, waited, and then shook their hands, knowing that we had failed to defend our PSAC Tournament Title. But, it was at that moment that we knew we weren't done, and we still had work to do. That kind of belief system. The belief in each individual. The belief in us. Those beliefs allowed us to defend our Atlantic Regional title, and the fact that we did it against a great West Chester side made it even a little sweeter.

BRYCE WATTS, REDSHIRT SENIOR FORWARD (FIRST BLOOMSBURG GOAL-SCORER)
I cannot believe it has already been an entire year. Thinking back to a year ago, I get chills about winning the regional title.

Before the game, I remember thinking that I could not believe that we were again in this situation - for the second year in a row - and that I actually got to play in this one. The year before, I missed out on some huge moments after suffering my third significant knee injury. I remember coach putting me in the game, and, just like that, West Chester scored. I knew that something needed to happen - and it did pretty quickly. Moments later, I scored my second goal of the season to tie up the game.

Throughout the rest of the game, I remember not being able to watch as Nicole was taking her shot and then realizing it went into the back of the net, and everyone went crazy on the sidelines. I stood there with tears in my eyes (cheesy, I know), but those are the moments that you live for in soccer. Watching teams battle back and being a part of something so much more. Having already played West Chester a couple of other times made it that much better to win when it was on the line for a regional title.

NICOLE VARANO, SOPHOMORE FORWARD (GAME-WINNING GOAL)
After the disappointing loss to West Chester in the PSAC tournament, I was proud of how the team responded and worked hard for each other in the weeks to follow. Games like that can ruin a team's season, but we used it as motivation and were eager to get back on the field.

Getting the chance to play them again in the regional championship made the win even more exciting. The excitement of watching Bryce score to tie the match and then personally scoring the second goal to win made the game one of the most memorable of my career. From the team storming the field to celebrating and taking pictures in the snowstorm made the weekend in New York something I'll never forget, and I hope to get the chance to play in a game like that again.

JENNA HAWKINS, REDSHIRT JUNIOR GOALKEEPER (ALL-AMERICAN)
It's hard to believe that our Regional Championship was a year ago already. It doesn't take much effort to revisit emotions that were felt during that day.
 
After coming off a double-overtime loss against West Chester in the PSAC quarterfinals, I think I'm able to speak for the whole team when I say that losing this championship was not an option for us. Every team member came into this game with a cohesive mindset and willingness to give it our all. That is why we were the group to raise the trophy at the end of the 90 minutes. There is no feeling like seeing your teammates being rewarded with a regional title after giving so much effort, making so many sacrifices, and overcoming an onslaught of adversity through the entire regular and postseason. Throughout my tenure in the program, we were able to help shape Bloomsburg Women's Soccer into a perennial powerhouse, and being rewarded with this one last Atlantic Region Title is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.

LAUREN HOELKE, JUNIOR MIDFIELDER (ALL-AMERICAN)
Never would I have thought we would drive four hours to play West Chester in the Sweet 16 game. Due to the change in the division that season, we played West Chester at home and away, met them in the PSAC tournament, and now we were playing them in the Sweet 16. At this point, both teams knew exactly how each other played. The winners of that game would be the more determined team who carried the strongest bond to push through. I knew coming into that bubble that day, that game was going to be ours. Speaking for the group, I feel as though we were all nervous about playing indoors in a bubble. We were so used to being outside and scared that that may impact our play. The coaches made sure to reiterate to us that both teams weren't used to this type of atmosphere, and we had to learn how to adapt.

On a personal side note, I remember from that trip was visiting a mall nearby and going into a pet store and playing with the puppies. That moment allowed me to relieve any stress I had from school and the up and coming games we had ahead.
 
When I think of memories of that run in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, I think of the team dinners, the group meetings, studying for finals the night before our games, and spending quality time with one another. Bloomsburg University Women's Soccer brought me my best friends. Without these memories, we wouldn't have created such a strong bond on the soccer field.
 
When I'm asked how our team kept such a great bond throughout the years, my simple answer is … we spend every second together. This team is a family. We have each other's back no matter what situation faced us. We also make sure to hold each other accountable when mistakes are made. As we all know, no team is perfect, but we strive for perfection every day at practice and in the classroom. Even though the Elite Eight match did not go our way, we learned a valuable lesson that day - no matter what the end score is, we will always pick each other up, get on the line, and shake the team's hand with respect and honor for what we have accomplished. I wouldn't change that moment for the world because I got to play soccer with my best friends.