The Le Moyne women’s soccer team split their two games this past week, recording a key win on Saturday against St. Michaels that keeps the team’s postseason chances alive.
The team’s win on Saturday ended a four game losing streak that stretched back to Oct. 12. Had the Dolphins lost their Saturday matchup with St. Michaels, their chances at a spot in the playoffs would have gone up in smoke.
Le Moyne sophomore midfielder, Claire Monnat, spoke about the Dolphins’ playoff chances after the game, stating, “We found out the other day that if we win out and a lot of other things fall into place, we can still make the Northeast-10s, so winning today was a step towards that.”
Despite the optimism, the week did not get off to a good start for the Dolphins. Last Tuesday, the Dolphins faced off against Adelphi in a critical Northeast-10 matchup. Riding what was then a three-game losing streak, the Dolphins knew they needed to bounce back with a victory.
But the victory didn’t come. The matchup against Adelphi proved to be a heartbreaking one, as the Dolphins had what would have been a crucial goal by sophomore Kelly Ristoff waved off at the 15-minute mark of the game. Both teams traded shots throughout the game, and entering the final six minutes of the contest, the score was 0-0.
That changed at the 5:26 mark, when Adelphi forward, Melissa Duarte, slipped past the Le Moyne defense to knock in the game-winning goal. The final score was 1-0, and Le Moyne was left to wonder what could have been.
However, the fortunes for the team changed on Saturday against St. Michael’s. Both teams took a number of shots in the opening minutes of the game, but it wasn’t until the 19:39 mark that a goal was finally put on the board. Le Moyne senior midfielder, Colleen Oberle, nailed a shot off an assist from junior midfielder, Lindsey Bakal, to bring the score to 1-0. From that point on, Le Moyne stayed in control.
The Dolphins were able to put a decisive second score on the board late in the game at the 72:42 mark. Junior back, Katherine Duke, sent a free kick into the air that Ristoff headed over to Claire Monnat’s feet. Monnat was then able to complete the goal to bring the final score of the game to 2-0.
“Duke sent a really good ball in,” said Monnat. “Kelly got to it first in the air and then it kind of bounced right in front of me so I just got a hit on it and it went in.”
The Dolphins win came on a special day for the team, as seniors Kate Deasy, Carly Bonzerato, Colleen Oberle and Jennifer Fabian were all honored as part of the team’s Senior Day.
Now the team is looking to shift its attention to the final two games of the season in hopes of clinching an elusive Northeast-10 championship berth. Monnat indicated that such a berth is possible as long as the team can stay consistent.
“If we can possess like we did today and finish on our opportunities, I think we have a really good shot [at clinching a playoff berth],” Monnat said.
The women’s soccer team will take to the road to face off against St. Anselm on Saturday at 3 p.m. for their final game of the regular season.
