The Washington University women’s soccer team had not lost a single game in over a month, when the Bears lost to nationally ranked Emory University, 1-0 last Sunday. The loss drops the Bears to 8-2-2 overall, and 1-1 in conference. Although the Bears may have just hit a bump in the road, they can’t let one game put a damper on their season.

The match against Emory was tough for the Bears to accept, according to head coach Wendy Dillinger. Although the Bears did not play poorly, the first half did not go quite as planned.

“We didn’t come out and dictate the flow of the game like we needed to. The first half was played pretty evenly,” Dillinger said.

However, the Bears were able to make some halftime adjustments that enabled them to have a much more successful second half. The team switched their formation from a 4-4-2 to a 3-5-2, and proceeded to “dominate” the second half. Emory did not get off any shots the entire second half, while the Bears fired nine shots. In the end, however, the Bears were not able to capitalize on any of their numerous second half chances, and were shutout for the first time since September 14.

Emory’s goal was scored in the 20th minute of the first half, on what Dillinger described as a brief defensive lapse. Indeed, the tally on the scoreboard did not do justice to the Bears and their overall strong play, but in the end, what matters is the fact that Emory was able to capitalize on one of their few chances, while the Bears were not able to convert any of their 14 shots.

“We took control of the game in the second half,” Dillinger said, “but we couldn’t catch a break. Their keeper made some big saves.”

However, the Bears must move on, for this weekend the Bears will travel to both New York University and Brandeis University. Both of these contests have become must win games. If the Bears are to win the UAA crown and a birth into the NCAA Division III playoffs, the squad must have a successful weekend. In a tight conference race, a second loss could spell trouble for the Bears.

Coach Dillinger said that the girls have responded well to the loss, and came out very determined this week in practice. She said that the girls are fired up and prepared to make NYU feel their wrath. This week, the team worked on playing with urgency in the attack by creating high pressure situations in practice.

“We need someone to step up and take control,” Dillinger said. “We need to get individuals to develop confidence and create things on their own.”

Team captain Meg Drews said that the team still needs to work on coming out to play from the start, and must work to play a full 90 minutes without the inconsistencies that led to the Bears’ loss to Emory.

“Against Emory, we didn’t play our game in the first half,” Drews said. “In the second half, we played the way we’re supposed to and we dominated. It just shows that if we play our game, we can play with anybody.”

Drews also stressed that the team is ready for this weekend.

“We’re looking forward to this weekend,” said Drews. “Going on the road is always a good time. We’re really hungry to avenge our loss against Emory. This weekend is huge. If we come out with two wins, than we know that we have done everything we can to put ourselves in position to win the conference.”

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