Ever since “getting noticed” in 2017, the Cardinals on the women’s soccer squad have been searching for that perfect season. Now, we’re witnessing it happen.
The Cardinals officially finished the 2026 season with a 14-0-1 overall record. Additionally, they are the only unbeaten women’s soccer team in the CCIW.
Head Coach Andrew Gamarra credits the culture as a reason for the excellent season.
“Culture is something that takes time and has to be built every day. We talk a lot about being committed to something bigger than yourself and understanding that your role matters,” Gamarra said. “Our players have really bought into that, and our leadership group has done a great job setting the standard for everyone else.”
And the players agree, including Kara Waishwell, a sophomore who earned her second All-CCIW honor. She joins six other Cardinals who earned the All-CCIW distinction for their work in the season.
Waishwell also highlighted the importance of team discipline in keeping their unbeaten record.
“The key to remaining undefeated this season was that we focused on the game at hand,” Waishwell said. “We have goals as a team, and it is important that we don’t look too far ahead. By taking each game one at a time and staying focused, we can continue working toward our goals.”
Gamarra was also voted the Coach of the Year in the CCIW. And Baylee Burbidge was named Freshman of the Year, being the third Cardinal in history to win the award.
Final home victory
On Oct. 21, North Central women’s soccer defeated Wheaton College 3-1 at home.
North Central capitalized on its first scoring chance in the eighth minute. Claire Georgees capitalized on a misplaced pass from Wheaton and drove down the left side. Following this, Georgees slotted a shot into the right side of the net to put the Cardinals on the scoreboard.
#11 Claire Georgees prepares for the attack in a contest against Wheaton College. (Photo taken by Camryn Knuth)
In the 33rd minute, Madison DeVriendt fired a shot from the left side of the box that the Wheaton goalkeeper punched away. Gabriella Mattio collected the rebound and passed it to Lily Mayer, who finished the play to put North Central ahead 2-0.
All-in-all, North Central dominated the first half, outshooting Wheaton 9-5 after controlling the attack for the opening 45 minutes.
In the second half, The Cardinals extended their lead early in the 58th minute when Georgees drove the ball to the top of the box, drawing the Thunder goalkeeper out for a diving save attempt. Georgees slotted home her second goal of the match to put North Central up 3-0.
After this, Wheaton answered relatively quickly, getting on the scoreboard later in that same minute. A long-range strike sailed just out of reach for Cardinal goalkeeper Emma Megerle, narrowing North Central’s lead to 3-1.
#1 Emma Megerle carries the ball out of danger while playing Wheaton. (Photo taken by Camryn Knuth)
3-1 ended up culminating in the final score. In total, the Cardinals took 19 shots, while Wheaton totaled 10, with three on target. The Cardinals had 10 on goal.
Since Nov. 2, 2022, the Cardinals have won all six games against Wheaton. In the all-time record, tracking since 1995, the Cardinals trail the series, 7-21 with one tie.
End of season
One week later, on Oct. 28, NCC shut out Augustana College 3-0 in Rock Island.
DeVriendt scored her fourth goal of the season, evading two defenders and opening up the scoring to put the Cardinals up one in the 18th minute.
In the 43rd minute, Sissi Loza followed a corner kick with a one-touch-and-score that put the Cardinals up 2-0. The goal was assisted by Burbidge and River Pham.
By halftime, North Central had attempted 21 shots, with 11 on target, while the Cardinal defense held the Vikings to just two attempts.
Following this, in the 65th minute, a well-placed pass from Mattio found Loza in the box. Loza chipped in her second goal of the match to secure a 3-0 victory for the Cardinals.
In total, the Cardinals took 33 shots, 17 of which were on goal. Augustana had five shots, with two on target.
Since Oct. 2, 2019, the Cardinals have not lost to Augustana. In the all-time record, tracking since 1995, the Cardinals trail the series, 9-21 with two draws.
The victories against Wheaton and Augustana marked their 13th and 14th wins on the season. They ended 7-0-1 in conference action.
Postseason aspirations
The Wheaton victory earned the Cardinals a share of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) regular season title for the second consecutive year. Which they now officially hold, as the season ended on Oct. 28.
“What has impressed me most about this team is its resilience. We’ve dealt with a lot of injuries and other unexpected challenges throughout the season, but we’ve had so many players step up when their number was called,” Gamarra said. “We know things won’t always go our way, but if we continue to trust each other and stick together, we give ourselves a great chance to keep this going.”
The CCIW tournament begins its first-round matchups on Halloween, which is Saturday, Oct. 31.
The Cardinals will play the winner of the No. 4, Wheaton college and No. 5, North Park University match on Wednesday, Nov. 4 in Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. The NCAA tournament kicks off on Friday, Nov. 13.
