Trailblazers Women’s Soccer Battles Through Preseason Tests Against McKendree and Quincy
GODFREY, IL — Lewis and Clark Community College women's soccer faced a tough pair of preseason scrimmages this week, matching up against NCAA Division II opponents McKendree University and Quincy University as the Trailblazers prepare for the 2025 regular season.
Head coach Justin Bernaix said the scrimmages highlighted both areas of strength and key opportunities for improvement.
"The importance of restarts and communication stood out," Bernaix said. "While we defended well for the majority of both games, we conceded on restarts, as well as a moment of miscommunication. Our focus and desire to be 'locked in' in specific defensive moments will be key as we begin the regular season."
The Trailblazers, featuring a roster with several new players, leaned heavily on their defensive preparation against McKendree. Bernaix said his team defended well in the run of play but is still building consistency in attack.
"The majority of the game was played in the middle of the field, but we struggled to get behind their backline to create enough scoring opportunities," Bernaix said. "Against Quincy, we generated more attacking moments, which was a positive, but we still need to work on our sharpness and collective effort going forward."
Individually, several players stood out to the coaching staff. Abby Knight and Kam Grohmann anchored the defense against McKendree, while Maddy Kuhn provided an impact in midfield against Quincy. Paula Gomez added a highlight moment with a goal against Quincy while serving as a strong target presence in both matches.
"In the McKendree game, our backline did well against a strong, physical opponent," Bernaix said. "Against Quincy, we responded to going down early with a goal of our own. We also showed versatility, as several players stepped into positions to give us a different look."
Looking ahead, Bernaix emphasized the importance of continuing to refine attacking play and execution on set pieces.
"More of the same, the importance of attacking as a collective versus individuals and the importance of restarts, both defending and attacking," Bernaix said.
Despite the final scores, Bernaix said the preseason test against two Great Lakes Valley Conference opponents provided valuable preparation for the upcoming campaign.
"Playing two NCAA D2 teams from a very tough conference is a tough preseason test for us," he said. "The physicality, quickness and direct play from these teams is good to see early on. While the results did not go our way, the intensity and continual fight we had to show in each game will help us as we begin our season on Friday, August 29th, at 5 p.m. against Columbia State Community College.
Written by Alexandra Dunn, Athletics Social Media Coordinator, Lewis and Clark Community College