Trailblazers Battle Injuries in Non-Region Test, Bounce Back in Region Play

GODFREY, Ill. — Lewis and Clark Community College's women's soccer team faced one of its toughest non-region opponents Friday in Indian Hills, dropping its first game of the season in a match that head coach Justin J. Bernaix said was as much about endurance as performance.

"The previous weekend's games definitely took a toll on us heading into the Indian Hills matchup," Bernaix said. "We had several players with small injuries, which prevented them from training fully during the week. In addition, we had two players ruled out completely for Friday. Preparation wasn't ideal, and it seemed like the match was going to be a matter of just 'getting through it.'"

That challenge became even tougher when the Trailblazers lost two more players to injury in the first half. Bernaix said his team regrouped at halftime to make tactical adjustments against a strong attacking side.

"I credit the players for that adjustment; however, overall, it was a disappointing result on several fronts," Bernaix said.

Despite the setback, Lewis and Clark quickly bounced back with a region win over Wabash. Bernaix said the victory showed his team's resilience and focus on its bigger goals.

"While this result was disappointing, our season goal hasn't changed: win our region," Bernaix said. "Our first loss of the season doesn't change our desire to get off to a good start in region play, and we were able to recover in the win against Wabash. While we are still dealing with a few injuries, we were able to start well and essentially put the game away in the first half."

The Trailblazers' early season has been demanding, with six games packed into a schedule that often allowed one or zero days of rest between contests, including three matchups against nationally ranked opponents.

"Now, we are looking forward to a bit more rest between games as our schedule moves to a midweek and a weekend match," Bernaix said.

Lewis and Clark continue region play this week, at Jefferson College on September 17 at 3 p.m. 

Written by Alexandra Dunn, Athletics Social Media Coordinator