After starting the season 0-4, DePauw women's soccer won two straight games last week against Earlham College and Marian University.
In the first victory of the season against Earlham, the Tigers ended the first half with a 3-0 cushion on the opposition. They almost lost their lead in the second half, when they gave up two goals in less than five minutes.
The defensive lapse was similar to their season opener against Milwaukee School of Engineering, when they surrendered four unanswered goals in less than 15 minutes of play.
However, the Tigers held on against Earlham in a game that saw 19 shots from the Tigers offense.
Sophomore forward Stephanie Martin had three shots on goal, two of them ending up at the back of the net. In the second minute of the game, Martin scored on an assist from first-year forward Elizabeth Seewer.
Toward the end of the first half, Martin converted a pass from sophomore Megann Lear into a goal. First-year Emma Ueland added the team's third goal in the first half of play.
"We've been working on moving the ball quickly, and with a purpose," Martin said. "We're making sure the right people are running at the right time. That's exactly what we did for every goal we had. We worked the ball from back to front. That's exactly what we wanted from the start."
Martin contends the team is on the right track, despite the rough start. Last year's team started 0-7, yet still they made it to the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship.
"I don't look at the losses in a negative way," Martin said. "We use them as learning points. Last year we turned around and made it to conference. We can use these losses to reach the goals we set as a team."
Last season, the Tigers' first win didn't come until Sept. 22, when they beat NCAC rival Hiram College 1-0. Dana Sprague '13 scored the tie-breaker with only 2:26 left in the game. After the first win, the Tigers won six of their last 10 games.
Martin said she expects nothing less from this year's squad. She spoke highly of the first-year players, and their contribution to the team thus far.
"The freshmen have had a lot of progression coming in having no college experience," Martin said. "To start is nerve wrecking. I've been there."
In the game against Marian, Alison Singer, Jennifer Dimos and Ueland, all first-years, got the nod to start.
Ueland, who graduated from Henry Clay High Cchool in Lexington, Ky., recorded two shots in the 3-0 victory.
DePauw's season record wasn't the only improvement we saw in last weeks two wins. Martin said that because of the wins, the first year players are much more confident in themselves and their teammates.
"I think it is a confidence booster after losing four [games] at the beginning of the season," Martin said. "We could point out what we did right, look at it in a more positive view. Individually, the more confident we are, the better we work as a whole."
The Tigers hope to keep their two-game win streak alive when they travel to Franklin College on Wednesday night. The Grizzlies are coming off a short winning streak as well. This weekend, they recorded a pair of 6-0 blowout wins this weekend, against MacMurray College and Oberlin College. After the wins, they improved their season record to 3-2.
The Tigers hope to make Franklin return to a .500 record when they play them Thursday at 7 p.m.