The IU Kokomo Cougars Women’s Soccer season is officially underway. After four games, the Cougars hold a record of 1-2-1.  

The team opened their season with a 1 goal tie at Blue Mountain Christian University on August 17th, before earning a dominant 6-1 road victory over Freed-Hardeman University. Unfortunately, back-to-back home losses against #2 Marian and IU Northwest by scores of 0-4 and 1-2 respectively have brought their record down to 1-2. 

Conference play for the soccer teams starts on September 21st with an away game against the Red Wolves of Indiana University East. Throughout the subsequent weeks, they have numerous conference matchups against River States Conference opponents such as Point Park, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, and Midway, before closing their season with a home game on October 28th against University of Rio Grande. 

This season, the Cougars will aim to replicate the success of their very strong campaign in 2022. Last season, the team posted an impressive record of 12-2-3 in the regular season, before winning the RSC championship against Rio Grande and earning a national championship tournament berth. 

Sophomore goaltender Kailee Moore is off to a great start this season. Moore has started 3 of the 4 games the Cougars have played; she has 7 goals against and 25 saves with a save percentage of .781. 

Many offensive stars have returned for the Cougars’ 2023 season, including Kelsi Hoot, Kaiya Bogers, and Keely Hoopingarner, the lattermost of whom is coming off a highly impressive season in which she took 68 shots on goal and scored 25 goals. The Cougars are also excited about freshman Charity Lewis, who has played in all four games so far and has tallied an assist and a shot on goal. 

Despite the rocky start, there is a lot to look forward to in this women’s soccer season. Strong goaltending and a plethora of offensive talent means the Cougars are primed for yet another strong season in 2023.