The St. Edward’s University Women’s Soccer team kicked off the 2013 season this past weekend in fine form, notching two convincing victories against Southern Nazarene University and Texas Women’s University. The program made a name for itself the past six years and, after their strong displays in the opening games, the Hilltoppers are looking to repeat their Heartland Conference title.

Friday’s season opener finished with a 6-0 blowout of Southern Nazarene and redshirt sophomore forward Cailyn Trapani scoring a hat-trick. Trapani struck again during a 3-1 victory against TWU on Sunday, tallying up four goals in the first two games.

Last year the squad had 20 incoming freshmen and were still ranked in the top 20 Division II teams. Head Coach Nick Cowell believes all the returning players will prove to be a strength for the team. “Last year’s team was very young,” said Cowell. “This year’s team will be a little older and little more experienced, which should make us an even better team going forward.”

Despite the Hilltoppers’ past and present success, the players are not overlooking any of their opponents. “We’re not looking forward,” said junior defender Katie Donahue. “We need to focus on achieving each goal one day at a time. All our focus should be on our next opponent.”

With this mindset, the team looks to continue the winning tradition here on the hilltop. The focus this season is on winning the Heartland Conference title outright, as they had to share the championship last year. “We are all technical players, and very skilled,” said freshman midfielder Alex Bsaibes. “We will have to come together in order to be a successful defensive team, and if we do that, we will have a chance to be Heartland champions.”

The very talented squad have their eye on a deep postseason run in the NCAA tournament.

After speaking with some of the team’s newcomers, there was definitely a general feeling of pressure to achieve postseason success, as the previous six seasons resulted in an NCAA Tournament berth. However, this sentiment was matched by unwavering confidence from the coaching staff, who are preparing the players to be just as successful, if not more than, the previous squads.

The Hilltoppers will be on the road for their next five games, but return home on Sept. 30 for their much anticipated “Battle of the Saints” rivalry game against St. Mary’s University.