The Dickinson Women’s Soccer appears to be in line for a playoff run once again. They started the year 4-0 and did not concede a single goal in their first four matches.
In 2022, the women fell short to Johns Hopkins in the Centennial Conference Championship. They lost to McDaniel in the first round of the Centennial Conference tournament in 2023.
Senior captain Sophia Kavulich ’25 is back in the net after missing last season. Kavulich returns this year from a torn ACL she suffered a year ago before a conference clash with Johns Hopkins. The captain spoke about her injury and the long journey back to the playing field in an exclusive interview with The Dickinsonian.
“Going down, it was definitely hard, but I knew that my team would support me no matter what. There were girls on the team who have also gone through that injury and came back even stronger and are playing 90 plus minutes. I knew having them and their support I could get through anything, and even though I wasn’t able to play, my role changed and I was the biggest cheerleader on the sideline,” Kavulich said.
She continued by explaining that “I knew that the support and mentorship of the goalies was at the top of my priority list.” Elizabeth Allen ’27 started twelve games in place of Kavulich last season. Allen held her own, but with Kavulich back from rehab, the senior will reclaim her previous position.
The rehab process was not the easiest for Kavulich: “There are definitely days in the recovery process where you’re doing the same thing every day. Massaging the scar, bending the knee, breaking the scar tissue down, that hurts so much. The important thing is just being disciplined, having to go in every single day and do the little things right like two to three months at a time.”
The discipline has played off extraordinarily for Kavulich. Four games in and four clean sheet victories gave the team a lot of confidence entering conference play in the coming weeks.
The starting squad is often changing, and coach Ted Zingman is not afraid to play his younger talent. Freshman midfielder Lauren Ervin ’28, forward Madison Mobray ’28, midfielder Ashley McSweeney ’28, and midfielder Izabela Pereira ’28 have all made quite the impact. Ervin collected three assists in the team’s 5-0 victory over DeSales. Mobray is yet to score, but she has done the dirty work that won’t show up in the box score. She has excelled at holding up play and acting as an outlet for her midfielders and wingers. Mobray has consistently opened up attacking opportunities for attackers Ava Prisco ’27 and Ava Cefaloni ’27.
Prior to Kavulich’s first official game back, she was full of emotion. “I’m probably going to cry. Just because it’s been so long when you’re out for an injury and you see people playing the sport you love, it makes you realize how much more you love it.” After the first game, a 1-0 victory over Penn State Harrisburg, Kavulich shed happy tears prior to her postgame interview with center back Lila Brown ’26.
The importance of communication and defense is something that the team embodies perfectly. The center back duo of Brown and Emily Dunkel ’25 paired with Kavulich in the net has executed communication to perfection thus far.
“Really switching and allowing shots from outside went well,” Dunkel said after 2-0 victory over Mary Washington September 11. “We had really good communication along the backline,” Brown added as well. “Being able to show up on our bad days is something we can continue in the season,” Dunkel said.
“It’s team defense, not just the backline. Our defense starts with out strikers, Ava Prisco does a really good job getting on top of the defenders,” Brown said. “I think in the midfield those transitions and players running back we do really well on,” Dunkel added.
Brown and Dunkel also have a remarkable connection from set pieces. Whether it’s from corner kicks or free kicks outside of the box, Dunkel almost always finds Brown’s head. The connection between the two is magnetic, as Brown said. Defensively, they have worked together for nearly three years now so the duo understands each other very well. They have now linked up for four goals this season. Brown has remarkably scored four times already from the center back position.
The team oozes professionalism and maturity that is needed in the daunting Centennial Conference. Team defense propelled them to four clean sheets in a row and the offense is clicking as well. The women are poised for a deep playoff run once again.