The varsity women’s soccer team arrived in Arcata for the Eye of the Tiger tournament nervous and excited. Winning the same tournament seven consecutive years has increased the pressure the winning team feels every time they enter. 2016 was no different, with the Lady Tigers facing four very challenging and unique opponents. The Tigers opened the tournament against the home team, Arcata High School, winning 2-0. The following two games were also shutouts by the Tigers against Fortuna High School and Mckinleyville High School, landing them in the championship game for the seventh year in a row. There they faced Windsor High School, the local team that had eliminated the Tigers from the NCS tournament in penalty kicks during the 2015 season. However, the Tigers were able to come away with a 1-0 victory, landing them the trophy once again. Local teams did extremely well throughout the tournament, with Cardinal Newman and Ukiah High School winning third and fourth place. The Tigers returned to Sonoma County with a significant confidence boost, and the momentum they needed to take on the SCL. They opened their season against their rivals, the Petaluma Trojans. In an exciting home game with many goals, the Tigers were able to defeat Petaluma 3-2. In the following week, they took on both Elsie Allen High School and Piner High School, defeating both teams. As last season’s SCL Champions, the Tigers again face an enormous amount of pressure. However, with a strong returning team and the addition of talented freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, the Tigers are prepared to fight for another title. Let’s support our fall sports teams, especially women’s soccer!