Following a tough loss to Avila University last weekend, the Baker women’s soccer team suffered another blow Tuesday night when it lost 2-1 to Graceland University.

The stakes were high on the Graceland game, and the ‘Cats stepped onto the field Tuesday knowing their ticket to the conference tournament was on the line.

“There was a lot of pressure,” assistant coach Melanie Benson said. “The girls knew they had to come out and perform. There was a slight chance that if we didn’t win we would not make the conference tournament.”

The team struggled through the first half of the game remaining scoreless and falling 2-0 by halftime.

“The first half we didn’t quite play our game, but I think the attitude going into the game was really strong, and the second half we came out ready to go and turned on the heat,” senior Sara Matthews said.

Ready to come out and fight back, the ‘Cats started to close the gap when sophomore Christine Janssens got a look at the goal and finished, taking the score to 2-1.

“Christine Janssens hit a header in off a corner kick by (sophomore) Jenny Haynes,” Benson said.

The second half came to an end before the team was able to finish another shot to tie the game up. Janssens said, regardless of the loss, the second half effort was enough to prove the team has what it takes to compete.

“We just didn’t start off early enough in the game,” she said. “If we would have started off with that intensity, there is a good chance we would have won that game.”

Despite two back-to-back conference losses this week, the Baker women’s soccer team will move forward and compete in the Heart of America Athletic Conference tournament next week.

The team is ready to regroup and head into the playoffs with confidence. Taking with them the second half effort against Graceland, the ‘Cats are ready to start conference tournament play.

“We are excited, and I think after we saw our performance against Graceland, who is ranked in the top 10 in the nation, we realized that we can play with those teams, and we have a chance of moving on through the playoffs and even going on to the national tournament,” Janssens said.

Matthews said the women’s success in the conference tournament would greatly depend on their ability to work together.

“This is the time where we have to all pull together and put everything else aside and just play as a team and play for each other, and I think ultimately that is how we are going to get the job done,” Matthews said.