SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Set atop the hills of Chula Vista, about 70 degrees and the sun shining through the clouds, it was a perfect day for soccer as Point Loma Nazarene University’s women's soccer team entered day 4 of their training camp at the Olympic Training Center.
The PLNU Sea Lions enter this season as the No. 1 team in the country, according to the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll. The ranking comes after the team secured a 17-3-1 record in the 2023 season on their way to the university's first national title in any sport.
"They’re learners. They’re determined. And they’re honestly joy," PLNU Head Coach Kristi Kiely said. "This group, in particular, they owned [last season]".
It was a nail-biter in the NCAA Division II national championship game last year, with PLNU securing the title by a score of 1-0 against Washburn University of Kansas.
"I remember the sense of just pride and their pride, like we are winning this game," Kiely said. "I just start crying before the whistle blows like knowing that this is coming. I’m just so overwhelmed with emotion. Joy for them, joy for the work, for our staff, for everything that went into it."
As national champions, the Sea Lions visited Washington, D.C., in late July for the White House College Athlete Day. Point Loma was among the 52 teams invited to participate in the celebration.
[Coach Kiely] said this to us: "You’re not successful until you’ve committed a successful act". We don’t want to do it like last year, cause if we do it like we did last year, it won’t happen again.
"Being able to go to the White House, I mean, no words can explain that feeling," graduate forward Alana Diaz said.
For Temecula native and graduate forward Emma Thrapp, the best part of the trip was meeting other athletes from across the country.
"It was really freaking cool," Thrapp said. "It was a really sweet experience being with other athletes from every division, every sport.”
With this title being the first in school history, it has not gone unnoticed. Players have been grateful for the continued outpour of love and support from fans and others.
"The community of San Diego has been great to us," Diaz said. "Point Loma's community has just been ecstatic about bringing home a national championship. Being able to represent Point Loma, it's amazing".
It’s a new year. New players. New expectations. Just compete and play hard and just showcase what we can do.
Both Diaz and Thrapp are returning this year for a graduate season. Diaz was the leading goal-scorer for the Sea Lions last season. Trapp was named a second-team all-American and PacWest Female Athlete of the Year.
Along with Diaz and Thrapp, the team is returning all but three of their starters, putting them in a prime position to repeat.
The graduate players understand how difficult it is to win a national title. They are hoping to use that experience as a guide for their newcomers.
"One of the freshmen had already said it's intimidating coming into a team who has won a national championship," Diaz said. "They know there's standards, but for us as leaders, showing how we can dominate on the field and expecting much of each other is how we do things around here".
The consensus for a title team entering a new season is to go for the repeat.
While that is the ultimate goal for the Sea Lions, Kiely has strayed away from using the word "repeat" to relieve that pressure from the team.
Point Loma will face off against Cal State San Marcos in their season opener on September 5th at home.
Along with collegiate sports, Adam Campos covers San Diego soccer culture, airline travel and Latino communities. If you have a story idea, you can reach him at adam.campos@10news.com.
