Bennies look to make their mark in 2022 playoffs

The CSB soccer team has been electric this season, posting an impressive 8-2 conference record and a 12-5 overall record.

As their regular season comes to a close, the Bennies are looking toward the MIAC tournament, where they hope to land one of the top two seeds. One of the biggest highlights of this year for the Bennies has been their strong team chemistry, which is shown on and off the field.

“Our team is a tight-knit team that is having a great time together and is also playing so well together on the field,” head coach Steve Kimble said.

The Bennies play as a cohesive unit on the field, collecting wins along the way. Another key component of this Bennie team has been the impact and leadership of the seniors this year.

“They are constantly serving their teammates and program. That is real leadership–less bossing, more doing,” Kimble said.

This leadership and cohesiveness will be huge for the Bennies as they enter the MIAC playoffs, and will play a big role in a potential playoff run. Grace Navara is one of the CSB seniors for the Bennie team. Navara helps lead a stifling defensive line, which is one of the biggest strengths of the team. Out of the 16 games played so far, this defensive unit has gathered five clean sheets, and their cohesion is a large reason for it.

“We thrive off of our communication with one another, especially from our goalkeeper,” Navara said.

This not only applies to the back line of defense, but also the collaborative defensive effort of the midfield and attackers.

“Moving up the field, our attackers defend with patience and persistence that makes the game predictable,” Navara said.

With the MIAC Playoffs coming just around the corner, the Bennies’ defensive prowess has to be upheld if they want to go far. CSB junior Caralyn Conners is a midfielder for the Bennie team, and she emphasized the importance of the communication this team presents.

“Having good communication on and off the field is one of the most important aspects of team dynamic and success,” Conners said. “After each game, we take time to reflect on different aspects of the game, including how well we communicated as a team.”

The chemistry within this team has allowed the communication to prosper.

“The team chemistry this year is like no other team I’ve been on. We all embrace our differences and come together to form a team of unity,” Conners said.

This is apparent, as the team’s success can be attributed to the cohesiveness of this Bennie team. With their regular season nearing an end, multiple tournaments such as the MIAC and the NCAA tournaments are drawing closer.

“We all want to win the MIAC championship, and we all want to go into the NCAA tournament,” Navara said. “The reason for this goal is not because it would be cool to go that far, but because we know we can do it.”

This sort of mental determination can prove quite valuable to this team and can help them overcome adversity they face during their postseason. The Bennies close out their regular season against Carleton this Saturday in Northfield, Minn. at 1 p.m. Depending on the results, they will then be given their seed in regards to the MIAC tournament, which begins Tuesday, Nov. 1.