RVC women’s soccer team amping up for its first trip to Nationals at the D-II level

ROCKFORD, Ill (WTVO/WQRF) — The sports programs at Rock Valley College are known for competing for national championships. Now it’s the women’s soccer team’s turn.

Over the weekend, the Golden Eagles won the Region IV Tournament in Madison. That qualified them for the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Tucson, Arizona. It’s the first time an RVC women’s soccer team has qualified for Nationals since 2015, and the first time ever at the Division II level.

RVC’s roster is loaded with local players from Harlem, East, Belvidere, Belvidere North, Beloit Memorial, Boylan, Guilford, Jefferson, Lutheran and Winnebago.

The Golden Eagles have won 16 games so far this season. Only two years ago RVC won only three games. This team leads the nation in goals scored, and RVC is also getting it done on the defensive end allowing only 1.25 goals per game.

Freshman Anika Elgin of Harlem High School leads the nation in goals scored with 36, and freshman Jocelyn Harms of Winnebago is third in the nation in scoring with 69 points on 26 goals and 17 assists.

“This is just a great group of kids,” said third-year head coach Kevan Watkins. “We have a great area for soccer, so it just kind of went hand-in-hand just getting the right players in that fit.”

“We all kind of have that chemistry,” said Elgin. “We played together in high school and club and all that, so I knew our capabilities. And it’s no surprise how far we’ve come as a team.”

Isabelle Garrelts, a graduate of Rockford East High School is pumped about making school history by reaching Nationals. “It feels absolutely amazing, especially it being, you know, only our second year here. We’ve made so much growth as a program it’s just unreal.”

“Coming into the season, I didn’t know how good we could actually be,” said freshman Emma Ambrose, a graduate of Boylan High School. “So now that we have made history so far and hoping to do more, it just feels amazing!”

So now that the Golden Eagles have clinched that trip to Nationals, what do you think they’re capable of doing once you get there?

“Oh, I think we’re pretty capable of doing whatever we put our mind to,” said Harms. “If we want to win, we’ll do it.”

RVC’s first game at the National Tournament will most likely be played on Sunday. The Golden Eagle’s first opponent won’t be determined until Tuesday when the tournament seedings are revealed.

Other local players on RVC’s team are Isabella Spera of Boylan, Ashley Martinez of Belvidere North, Anahi Camargo of Belvidere, Olivia Gomez of East, Sydney Carlson of Rockford Lutheran, Jamari Zawlocki of Guilford, Marieli Perez of Beloit Memorial, Ariana Moreno of Guilford, Jagueline Aranzolo of Jefferson, Christine Heinsish of Jefferson, Alanah Reyes of Guilford, Sara Holguin of Beloit Memorial, and Abigail Carlson of Guilford.