Women's Soccer Suffers Heartbreak

Author: Mike Kennedy

The Middlebury women's soccer season came to an end last weekend in devastating fashion. Williams advanced to the semi-finals in the NESCAC tournament, beating the Panthers 3-1 in penalty kicks after 110 minutes of scoreless play. Middlebury closes its season with an impressive 10-4-1 mark.

A 3-2 victory over Connecticut College last Saturday set up a NESCAC quarterfinal match between the third ranked Ephs and the sixth ranked Panthers on Sunday in Williamstown. Middlebury had beaten Williams 2-1 back on Oct. 11. The winner would advance to the NESCAC semifinals, held at Bowdoin this weekend.

Middlebury came out strong in the first half at Williams, and controlled most of the action. They looked to send Williams a message that they were still the same team that beat them less than a month before. "Beating them earlier in the season gave us the confidence that we could dictate the pace of the game, and come out on top in the end. That they had the higher ranking and the home field did not affect our outlook on the game," said senior co-captain Amanda Green. The Panthers looked to hammer home the message in the first half, out-shooting the Ephs 10-7 and nearly getting on the board when Junior Brittany Cronin's bid from in close sailed high over the net. Goalkeeper Els Van Woert '05 and the Panther defense held Williams scoreless, and the two teams went to halftime deadlocked at zero.

Middlebury continued to put the pressure on Williams in the second half and dominated the Ephs at both ends of the field. It could not, however, manage to get one by the Eph goalkeeper, and the two teams finished 90 minutes still scoreless and headed for overtime. The first overtime period ended without either team finding the net, sending them into a second 10-minute overtime. The Panthers thought they had won it when they scored half way through the period, but the goal was nullified on an offside call that the team considered very questionable. The game would be decided on penalty kicks.

Williams shot first and scored to take the lead. Senior Jess Peterson's attempt to tie it sailed high over the cage, giving Williams the early advantage. Williams netted their second kick, which was answered by Middlebury's Mayo Fujji '05 to keep the deficit at one. Both shooters in the third frame missed, leaving the score at 2-1 in favor of the Ephs with two shooters on each team remaining. Williams capitalized on their kick, putting the pressure on Middlebury's Ashley Varady '05 to keep the Panthers alive. Her shot hit the post and stayed out of the net, and the Ephs advanced with the 3-1 win in penalty kicks.

Coach Boettcher commended her team's effort and said "it was probably the best game the Panthers had played all season." They had outshot the Ephs 27-15 and held an 8-2 advantage on corner kicks. The Panthers were understandably emotional after seeing their season and for the seniors, their careers, come to end in such a devastating manner. However, Green was able to put a positive spin on the game by commenting, "I can honestly say that this team was the best Middlebury team I have ever been a part of, and I would have rather played and lost with them, than won with any other team. Although the outcome wasn't what we felt we deserved, I wouldn't want to finish my career in any other way, with any other group.'