Contact: Tyler Bremner, Sports Information Graduate Assistant
Sept. 27, 2024 – North Central College women’s soccer graduate student Elle Sutter pondered returning for a fifth season after helping lead the program to its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. In a stunning 2023 season, Sutter smashed four individual program records while helping the team to its best record of 18-2-1. This earned a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament title and the conference's first team to shut out all regular season opponents.
Sutter as a two-sport athlete grew up getting a wide variety of experiences outside soccer and basketball, “I pretty much did everything. I don’t know how my parents did it, because they were driving all over the place for us. I was on the swim team, I did volleyball, softball, and even the school play.”
Sutter continues to pursue her academics as she strives for a master’s in business administration. After graduation, she wishes to, “I’m interested in medical sales, just to get that mix of biochemistry but also the business side of it. We’ll just see where the future goes.”
Later in the 2023-24 school year, Sutter became the first female student-athlete in the CCIW to be elected first-team all-conference across two sports. Sutter explained, “I had a talk with my dad, and he always said if I could play one more year of football, I would do it in a heartbeat… that stuck with me because I can work a job but you’re only in college for so long.”
However, the decision to return was made even tougher as she reflected on a penalty kick that decided the Cardinal defeat to the University of Chicago in the NCAA tournament. “I told coach Gamarra at the end of last season when I was deciding if I wanted to come back for a fifth year after that game, I texted him and said If you let me take the first penalty kick of the season I’ll come back”.
Coach Gamarra gave her the green light in the very first game of the season against Bridgewater State, her shot sailed past a diving goalkeeper for the game-winning goal in what became a 7-2 opening day victory, “It shook off all the guilt I had from last year to move forward”.
Shake off the guilt it did as Sutter has already added two more CCIW student-athlete of the week awards for offense, and leads the CCIW with thirteen goals, five game-winning goals, twenty-nine shots on goal, eight assists, and thirty-four points. She now trails the program’s career record for assists by a margin of four.
Throughout three seasons in basketball, she earned two All-CCIW first-team selections and last season earned the team's first D3hoops.com All-Region selection since 2015.
Sutter and the North Central women’s soccer team continue their 8-2 season on Saturday as the 15th nationally ranked team in the country. Access the full 2024 schedule HERE.
Download the free North Central Cardinals app, available for iOS and Android devices, to receive up-to-the-minute news, scores and updates on your favorite North Central teams. Click HERE for more information.