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Iba Oching stepped up to take a pressure penalty kick on May 18, 2023. It was the final of the prestigious Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup, and Oching’s team, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite, was trailing 1-0 in penalty kicks against FC Basel (Switzerland). After the Whitecaps missed their first shot, Oching approached the penalty spot.

“I just thought, ‘I have nothing to lose. If I miss, we might lose the shootout, but if I score, it will help us get back on track,’” Oching said.

In the past, Oching primarily placed penalties to the goalkeeper’s left. As she readied to shoot, FC Basel keeper Irina Fuchs dove left. Oching sent her penalty the other way, and the ball nestled into the top left corner. Oching’s conversion was a tone-setter. The Whitecaps cashed in on the next four shots and Vancouver goalkeeper Leah Parsons denied two Basel shooters en route to the Whitecaps hoisting the trophy.

“It was super intense but one of the best experiences,” Oching said. “I had never been part of a penalty shootout in a big game like that before, so learning to handle the stress and knowing you have to convert to win was important.”

While playing for Vancouver, Oching won three British Columbia provincial titles, two Canadian Championships and the Blue Stars Tournament. As a result of her success with the Whitecaps, she earned a spot on Canada’s 2022 Under-17 World Cup Team. Oching’s accumulation of high-level experience with the Whitecaps and Team Canada has helped her instantly become Syracuse’s go-to right back as a freshman.

“(Vancouver) actually played very similarly to my system,” Syracuse head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams said. “So, I knew coming in that (Oching would) fit in really well. She’s made a major impact as a freshman and has found a spot continuously for us.”

Flynn Ledoux | Illustration Editor

From a young age, Oching always wanted to play for Canada and she knew the Whitecaps provided a pathway toward that goal. One of the Whitecaps’ objectives is positioning players to represent their country by putting them in front of national team coaches and instilling similar tactics to the international squads.

Oching got that chance when she made Canada’s roster for the 2022 U-17 World Cup in India. She was getting coffee with some of her friends when her parents told her she made the Canadian squad. Oching couldn’t believe it. But when she checked her email, a message from Canada Soccer confirmed the news. Though Canada was eliminated in the group stage, Oching still sees the U-17 World Cup as a major learning experience.

“It taught me how to cope with the pressure of big games, playing in a stadium at a high level and how to try your best even when you’re not the better team,” Oching said. “It’s something I look back on and want to experience again.”

Throughout Oching’s three years on the Whitecaps, head coach Katie Collar called Oching the “glue” of the team. Collar nicknamed Oching “Miss Consistent,” saying that Oching was always a clever and intelligent player who tended to make the right decisions in big moments.

Oching’s consistency was integral to the team’s approach in winning the Blue Stars tournament in 2023. The Whitecaps were one of eight teams invited to compete, including household clubs in world soccer like Arsenal, Liverpool, Rosengård and Juventus.

The tournament’s schedule created another challenge. The cup only lasted two days and the games were 40 minutes instead of 90. On its way to the title, Vancouver played its first two group stage games on May 17 and competed in its final group stage games, the semifinal and final, the following day.

“The ability to go and have that moment at the beginning, seeing all these teams we admire, was special,” Collar said. “Then to be able to win it was validating … Without (Oching) during that period, we probably wouldn’t have won those games.”

Iba Oching maneuvers through multiple defenders in SU’s game versus Northwestern. Oching has become the starting right back for the Orange in her freshman season. Aaron Hammer | Contributing Photographer

As Oching and many of her Vancouver teammates left the team this summer to pursue college careers, Collar said the legacy of Oching’s group was “ambition.” They won big trophies and advanced the Whitecaps team made up mostly of youth players to the point where they are competing in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup this fall against the best professional teams in North America.

“They were so hungry for more,” Collar said. “They didn’t just want to be good, they wanted to be the best. You can already see it in their college debuts. There’s a handful having the same success as (Oching), and their legacy is ambition and their willingness to do the extra work to be the best.”

With Syracuse entering Atlantic Coast Conference play and Oching stationed as a key factor on the right side of its defense, Collar wants her former player to translate that ambition from Vancouver to SU.

“Don’t get complacent,” Collar said. “Keep pushing for more.”

Published on September 18, 2024 at 11:29 pm

Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu