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MEGHAN GUATTERY
Managing Editor
All good things must come to an end.
When Nancy and Mike Hale stepped onto the grass of University Stadium alongside Pam and John Tatro on Tuesday, Oct. 27, it marked the end of an era.
Senior defender Michelle Hale and senior midfielder Ally Tatro’s four years of collegiate athletic eligibility were about to expire, and they were preparing to play their final game as Blue Devils on the women’s soccer team.
“It’s very eye-opening … ” said defender Hale. “The past four years,” she paused, “I don’t know. It’s sad. I’m done forever. It’s surreal to think that I’m done, but it’s been a great run.”
But the team wasn’t going to let the emotional day leading up to its final game stop it from ending the season with a win.
“We had a goal before stepping on the field,” said sophomore defender Audrey Yokopovich. “We all agreed that we needed to end the season on a high note and get a win for the seniors.”
One minute and nine seconds into the game, junior midfielder Kristie Kleine was hugging the endline, racing toward the goal with an Elmira Soaring Eagle hot on her tail. With a quick cross to the center, junior forward Maria Gordon gained possession and finished the play into an open net.
“It was exciting, but it happened really fast,” said Gordon. “It was kind of an easier goal to put in, but it was a great way to start the game off. We hadn’t had a goal like that in a long time so it was good to start the game off on a strong foot.”
Just over one minute later, Tatro played the ball to junior forward Alexis Moreland. Moreland set up the breakaway for Kleine who snuck her way behind the line of defense, using her breakaway to make the second goal of the game.
Then, in the ninth minute of play, Kleine scored her seventh goal of the season and the Blue Devils’ third consecutive point in the game.
With another assist from Moreland, Kleine was able to put the ball in the back of the net, bringing the score to 3-0 in less than 10 minutes.
“It was a good feeling, finding the back of the net, because every goal we scored gave us confidence in gaining a win for the seniors,” said Kleine.
But three goals wasn’t enough for Yokopovich.
Remembering Head Coach Chris Case’s pregame advice, Yokopovich positioned herself in the box at the far post during a corner kick by Tatro in the 12th minute.
“Elmira was a little disorganized while we were getting set up, and there was nobody marking me,” said Yokopovich. “Ally Tatro played a perfect ball right over everyone with just the right amount of power …”
Seizing the opportunity, Yokopovich jumped and headed the ball directly into the back of the net. Making her first goal of the season, she was the Blue Devils’ final scorer in the first half.
“Scoring [those] four quick goals allowed for the game to become more laid back, causing our intensity to decrease,” said Kleine.
Capitalizing on the Blue Devils’ ego trip, Elmira came back near the end of the 17th minute to ruin the Blue Devils’ shot at a shutout. Sophomore midfielder Amy Sullivan scored the Soaring Eagles’ first goal of the game.
Finishing the first half with the scoreboard at 4-1, the Blue Devils remained confident Fredonia had the game in the bag.
“Four goals in the first 20 minutes of the game was awesome,” said Gordon. “We were pumped. It was nice to be on the winning end of a game for once. We were all playing really strong and stringing together some good passes.”
But the players’ confidence in their early lead had the potential to cost them the game.
“The [Soaring Eagles] adjusted to us, and they were able to defend us a lot better,” said Gordon. “We weren’t able to break them down as much in the second half as we did in the first.”
Proving they were down but not out, Elmira sophomore forward Sara Kazerouni scored the first goal of the second half in the 57th minute, narrowing the Blue Devils lead to 4-2.
With less than three minutes of play left, the Blue Devils had managed to hold onto the lead.
Determined to go out with a bang, in the 87th minute, Hale solidified the team’s win with her first collegiate goal.
“Audrey Yokopovich had a free kick on our end of the field, and I was up top,” said Hale. “She hit the ball perfectly over all the defense, and I came in, took two dribbles, and hit the ball with outside of my right foot. It hit the right post and went in.”
Just like that the buzzer sounded, and the Blue Devils had done it. A bright red “5-2” shone over the field.
“We were able to hold them off because we were all determined to achieve our goal,” said Yokopovich. “After Michelle scored in the last few minutes, that really sealed the win. It was a great way for us to end the season and an even better way for Ally and Michelle to end their careers.”
While Hale may not be joining the Blue Devils next Fall, the senior Blue Devil left the team with some advice she hopes the team will carry onto the field.
“I think the greatest advice I could give is to have everyone be friends,” said Hale. “You grow together as a team, and it’s awesome when you can share it with your good friends by your side.”
That is exactly what Gordon hopes to do in her senior year.
“I really enjoy welcoming the new girls onto the team and trying to formulate a family aspect,” said Gordon. “I’m really looking forward to trying to form that more and more next year and get us really close and have good chemistry on the team.
“We have a strong mentality when we’re playing, especially in the SUNY league,” continued Gordon. “A lot of our strength comes from our drive to win. It’s not that we have the best players in all the SUNY league, the most technical players or the best scorers, but when we all show up for a game and really want to win … we are a really strong team.”