The Wooster womenís soccer team suffered a disappointing end to their season on Saturday at the hands of the Denison University Big Red, as the Scots were forced to hang up their cleats with a 3-1 defeat.
The Fighting Scots went into their last game against a tought opponent. Denison, currently at the top of the NCAC standings (15-2-2, 7-0-1 NCAC) were the heavy favorites against Wooster, who ended in seventh place (11-4-4, 3-4-1 NCAC).† Despite being underdogs, the Fighting Scots played well against Denison, recording an equal number of shots with a final tally of 10 apiece. Though the teams seemed evenly matched statistically, Denison made their chances count.
Denison opened the scoring in the 24th minute, scoring on a breakaway ó they would later tack on two other goals at the 52nd and 61st minutes of play. The Scots fought to avoid being shut out in the season finale. Liz Mott í11 scored on a header just seven minutes after Denisonís third goal, salvaging some pride in a season in which Mott lead the team with eight goals. Mott was assisted by a cross from Kelsey Peters í12, a regular feature in the Scotís defense and a threat going forward who scored four goals of her own in 2009.† The comeback attempt was unsuccessful though, as the Big Red hung onto their two-goal cushion to finish out the game and end Woosterís season.
Though it is disappointing to see a team that started with a historic winning streak not make the tournament, the ladies can still hold their heads high knowing they ended with an overall winning record. Michele Ring í13 was one of many notable players this season recording 53 saves in her debut, ranking among the leagueís best, a staggering feat for a rookie. Paige Piper í13 and Chantal Koechli í10 ended the season with goal tallies of five and four respectively. Koechli, an ever-present force on the squad, tied with Bri Fulmer í12 for assists, both recording a total of four.
Much has been said about the youth of this squad but it would not have the winning record it did without the solid leadership of its old guard.† Four Scot seniors were led out by the pipers on Saturday ó Britta Harman í10, Simone DiSalvo í10, Chantal Koechli í10 and Nora Simon í10 ó all of whom were vitally important to the teamís successes this season.† Now that these leaders are leaving it will be up to the youth of the squad to pick up where they left off. They have shown they have the talent to succeed.† The teamís future looks bright if the team can sustain the high level of play it displayed at times this season.† The teamís challenge continues to be consistency.