For John Carroll women’s soccer, victory comes as a result of adversity.

It’s been ten years since the Blue Streaks captured an Ohio Athletic Conference regular season title. The past decade has seen eras of loss, hope and some frustration. As strong as John Carroll’s soccer program is, the OAC has always fostered a unique level of competition that is consistently difficult to overcome.

While some previous seasons proved to be better than others, the 2023 campaign was marked by utter dominance. The Blue Streaks finished the regular season with an overall record of 12-4-1, holding onto an impressive 8-0-1 OAC record that gave the squad a clear first place finish in the conference.

But, this season of influence came with years of growth. Strategic recruiting from head coach Michael Marich resulted in the acquisition of players like Emily Patryzk ‘26, Alli Malinky ‘26, Gabriella Walter ‘24, Meredith Coloian ‘26, Abby Smith ‘26, Taylor Wohleber ‘24 and Madyson Rosado ‘25. The combination of these players resulted in an undeniable chemistry.

“The main reason for the team’s success for the regular season was certainly from the consistent hard work from the very first day of pre season up until our last regular season game,” stated Patryzyk. “Every game and every practice we have had nothing but determination to achieve our goals.” We constantly prepared our bodies and mental states for every game and only supported each other through the process.”

The relentless hustle, effort and pursuit of victory was seen in the game that ultimately secured John Carroll’s regular season title. A combination of Smith and Patrzyk ended in the first goal of the match last Saturday, with Patryzk securing her ninth goal of the season. Soon after, Rosado worked with a ball from Emma West ‘26, tallying her tenth goal of the 2023 campaign. The final goal of the match came off another pristine pass from West, who found Sara Gennuso ‘27 for the third goal of her freshman season.

Overall, the Blue Streaks were able to showcase the depth of their squad, making plenty of substitutions in the second half of the game. John Carroll held onto their 3-0 lead until the 90 minute mark, when the team was able to celebrate an OAC regular season championship along with an undefeated (9-0) home record.

The Blue and Gold felt a unique satisfaction as a result of the win, understanding that their triumph was a direct outcome of years of practice, adversity and development.

For athletic teams, establishing a franchise player implies that one individual is the reason for a team’s success and camaraderie. This isn’t the case for John Carroll women’s soccer as a combination of multiple players is what has transformed this team into what looks to be the establishment of a dynasty.

The standard has been set. The future of women’s soccer at John Carroll will have to match the level of skill, passion and dedication that was seen this year.

“The vibes are high on and off the field and the support of the school is only making us work hard,” summarized Patryzk. “The only strategy we have for postseason play is to just continue to play our game because that’s what has made us successful all season long.”

This week, the Blue Streaks host the lowest remaining seed on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 7:00 p.m. in the OAC semifinals. A win punches the squads’ ticket to the OAC finals on Saturday, Nov. 4.