Dan DaranciangThe Washington University women’s soccer team lost their last game of the 2005 campaign to No. 13-ranked University of Chicago on Saturday. The team, which has won its past four games, was hoping to finish out their season strong against a tough Maroon squad, but couldn’t get past the staunch UC defense, dropping the decision 2-1.
The Maroons (14-2-2, 3-1 UAA) controlled the game early on and got on the board first in the contest at the 31:38 mark when UC’s Olivia Ndyabagye knocked a shot off a corner kick past starting keeper sophomore Nina Sass for the first goal of the day.
“Giving up corner kicks is something we have struggled with all year and this is something we have to change,” said head coach Wendy Dillinger.
The score remained at 1-0 heading into halftime, and the Bears came into the second half with a new sense of urgency.
“We came out with fire and drive in the second half and went at Chicago for 45 minutes,” commented Dillinger. “Meghan Marie [Fowler-Finn] broke through four defenders to get a one-on-one with the Chicago keeper. She hit a bullet to the lower left post and their keeper came up with a big save.”
After that, UC extended their lead to 2-0 in the 59th minute with an unassisted goal by Jacqui DeLeon.
“[This] goal was the type of goal we have given up all year-a mistake in judgment that resulted in a game-deciding goal,” said Dillinger. “This is another area that we have to clean up to give ourselves opportunities to win big games against top-level opponents.”
It looked like the end of the season was looming close for the Bears, but junior captain Meghan Marie Fowler-Finn and junior Talia Bucci attempted to give their squad one last strike at catching up. With 11 minutes remaining, Fowler-Finn passed the ball up to Bucci, who got past the UC defense to net the ball past the UC keeper. The goal was Bucci’s third of the season.
Despite their best efforts, the Bears couldn’t find the goal again in the game, and ended their season in disappointing fashion. In all, it was a game dominated by the Maroons; they outshot the Bears 12-10, owned the advantage in corner kicks 3-2 and won the battle of saves 6-4. Also, fouls hurt the Bears, who committed 19 fouls to the Maroons’ 15. Sass made one save in net before being taken out in the second half for senior Megan Morley, who played the first 10 minutes of the second frame, making one save in the effort. Sophomore Carrie Sear finished the game, saving two but letting in the second goal of the game.
The Bears, who entered the season ranked No. 11 in the nation, couldn’t play up to the high expectations they had coming into the season, finishing with an 11-7-1 record and 3-4 showing in University Athletic Association (UAA) play.
“The outcome of the season is extremely disappointing. We had shining moments this season and fierce battles that just didn’t go our way. We played a much tougher schedule this year, facing nine opponents who have advanced to the NCAA tournament this season. The level of play in the UAA was also higher this year. We graduated four seniors last year, three of whom were major contributors. Inexperience in filling those shoes this year contributed. But the good news is those players have this year’s experience on which to improve for next year,” said Dillinger.
Fowler-Finn, who led the Bears in scoring last season, scored seven goals in this year’s campaign, good for the team lead. Following Fowler-Finn was sophomore Kim O’Keefe, who netted four goals. Bucci was third with three goals of her own.
The top three scorers this year were also the top producers last season, but with much less frequency. The Bears’ inability to score goals this year contributed to the team’s decreased ability to edge away with close wins.
“Six of our seven losses were by one goal-two of those were decided by penalty kicks and the other four were direct results of bad decisions that resulted in game winning goals for the opponent,” said Dillinger. “We were shut out six times, and we all know you can’t win if you don’t score. Consistently putting together 90 minutes of soccer at the high level that is required to excel was an issue this year.”
Sophomore Abbey Hartmann stepped up this season, leading the Bears in assists with five, while Fowler-Finn followed closely behind with four of her own. Sass finished her season, the first as a starter, allowing nine goals in 1,235 minutes played, equating to a 0.66 goals against average.
The Bears have many things to work on over the off-season, attempting to improve themselves and return to the strong play of old. For now, the squad will look back on their 2005 season and play off of their mistakes and strengths and look to the future.
“Staying focused is key. Finishing goal scoring opportunities is crucial. Against top teams, great goal scoring opportunities are few and far between-they are like gifts, and you have to take advantage of them. Getting to the top level is tough. Staying there is tougher. Sometimes that is a lesson that can only be learned though experience. That is a lesson we learned the hard way this year,” said Dillinger.
Dillinger will be working hard with her players over the off-season to improve play in a number of key areas.
“Ball control. Speed of play. Finishing. Decisions in the defensive third. A consistent, high work-rate that builds character, perseverance and guts-a ‘refuse to lose’ mentality. We will spend time evaluating both the good and bad from the season and find constructive ways to improve,” said Dillinger.
The Bears have one particularly positive note to end on, however; the squad will only be losing four seniors to graduation. Seniors Megan Morley, Meg Lag, Jessie Munger and Stephanie Ackerman will be missed for the leadership, experience, and talent that they brought to the Red and Green over their four-year careers. Now coach Wendy Dillinger can focus on improving the core of the young Bear offense and defense and solidify a team that has shown itself to be a contender.
“This group possesses great passion for the game and they are competitors,” said Dillinger. “The disappointment from the season will drive them to dig deeper and move forward in preparation for next fall.”