Soccer slips in sour sixteen

Author: Dave Lee

After two impressive wins over Scranton and Western Connecticut, the women's soccer team's NCAA run finally came to an end in the sweet sixteen with a 1-0 loss to national powerhouse The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), last Saturday. In front of 925 spectators, the Lions proved mightier than the Panthers and used the win to springboard all the way to the championship game, where they eventually fell to Wheaton (Ill.), the winner of two of the last three national titles.

The match-up with TCNJ was hard-fought from the start. Both teams had chances to score early, yet both the opposing goalie Jessica Clarke and Middlebury netminder Adele Plunkett '09 were on top of their games and kept the score locked at 0-0. In the 27th minute, however, TCNJ took advantage of a foul that was committed 25 yards out. The Lions were rewarded with a free kick. Courtney Krol stepped-up and knocked a well-struck ball into the upper corner to take the lead.

Although the Panthers continued to pour on the offensive pressure, they were unable to break through the tough defense of the home squad. Caitrin Abshere '07, who had scored two goals in the regional final the week before, had the best chance of the day early in the second half. Her shot, however, just barely missed the target and careened off the crossbar.

Even with the team's exit from the tournament, there are a lot of reasons to celebrate the 2006 women's soccer season. Not only did the team capture the NESCAC championship in overtime against Amherst - their second title since the tournament began in 2000 - but their performance in the NCAA tournament included an upset of the third-ranked team in the country, Western Connecticut, who benefited from home field advantage. And, as the true Panther aficionado would probably point out, the women's total of 15 wins ties an all-time record for the program.

While these statistics look impressive on paper, they fail to tell the entire story. What made the women's team historic this year cannot be captured on a simple score sheet. It is the heart and soul of this tightly knit squad and their fans that will be most remembered.

The spirit of the team produced come-from-behind, dramatic wins, while the spirit of the fans produced some tense moments.

"Multiple times this season some parents in particular have been scolded by the referee or security people for their antics," said Tri-Captain Alex Citrin '07. Loud noise from cow bells and air horns inspired the team's play, but upset some Western Connecticut parents. At that game, "the parents started to get into it with the opposing parents," said Citrin. "After we scored, one of our dads ran in front of their fans with a big sign. In the process, he broke a Western Connecticut's parent's sign and ran into the railing. Security confiscated the sign immediately."

Citrin's favorite stats go beyond the field of play. "First of all, we clearly throw the best dance parties. The themes are ridiculous," she said. "Second of all, the ten seniors on the team are, to the point of distraction, knee-weakeningly good looking." Try finding that in the stat sheet.