Following his team’s loss to Syracuse at Berman Field on Sunday afternoon, women’s soccer head coach Berhane Andeberhan shrugged off the game saying, “That’s just football.”
To him and his team, the final score did not matter much.
Winning the next game against Bucknell does.
“Obviously, it’s never good to lose,” said sophomore forward Shannon Fraser. “But we did a lot of things well as a team, and we’re really happy with how we played.”
The Red opened its season with a homestand against Stony Brook and Syracuse this past weekend, tying the Sea Wolves, 2-2, and losing to the Orangewomen, 3-0. The women came out strongly against both teams, playing their style of ball-control offense.
But the team could not capitalize on several key scoring opportunities which could have put them ahead of Stony Brook and, perhaps, even with Syracuse.
“We really controlled the game against Stony Brook,” said assistant coach Gretchen Zigante. “And the Syracuse score doesn’t really reflect how well we played. It doesn’t indicate all the shots that hit the bar or barely missed the back of the net.”
Though the team had hoped to notch a pair of wins, the weekend’s games at least gave it a chance to assess weaknesses and develop a strategy in preparation for this evening’s contest against Bucknell in Lewisburg, Penn.
“Some of the freshmen were nervous on the field, and the games gave us a chance to work a few things out with the older players, too,” said Fraser. “But we’re ready for Bucknell, and we can beat them.”
The Bison come into the match 3-0, their best start in two years. Helping in the winning effort has been Jennifer Margolis, who has made a big impact for the blue and orange so far this season. Last week, the freshmen earned Patriot League rookie of the week honors after scoring four goals in two games, including two in overtime.
But, the Red has history and confidence on its side. Last year, the team blanked Bucknell, 2-0. This year, it expects nothing less than a repeat.
“This is our chance to start fresh,” concluded Zigante. “If we just play our game, we’ll win.”
Archived article by Everett Hullverson