ANDREW RICHARDSON
Special to The Leader
The women’s soccer team has much to improve on from last year. A 5-12-1 leaves a lot to be desired.
Last Friday, they looked to have a strong start to the season against York, but those dreams started to deflate about 21 minutes into the game as Fredonia let up a butter goal by Sara Guzman to put York up 1-0. After that, the floodgates were opened.
Fredonia got scored on about seven minutes later on a crisp play by Caitlin Rankin. This put York up with a commanding lead of 2-0.
That is how this game would stay until the zeros started to flash on the scoreboard.
There is not much to say about Saturday’s game against Rowan, other than the team was outplayed on the scoreboard consistently the entire game. Rowan scored two goals in the first half and two in the second. The end result was a 4-0 blowout.
Although this weekend could have gone better, there’s still hope for the team.
The few older girls that are on this team seem to have a unique bond.
“I’m excited for this last season with my best friends and am very hopeful to have success,” said senior Alexis Moreland. “[We can] definitely make playoffs and hopefully advance past the first round.”
The keyword in that quote is “best friends.” It speaks volumes about how tight-knit this group has already become.
It was very bold of her to state the team will “definitely” make the playoffs this year, especially after the struggles that the team faced a year ago, but their cohesion as a unit could possibly help turn things around.
Among other hurdles, the team will have to continue to work on filling the gaps left by former players. Maria Gordon, a senior on the team, was asked about former teammate and Leader staff member Michelle Hale.
“Michelle is a good friend of mine and is missed on and off the field,” said Gordon. “Her strength on the ball and communication in the back is definitely missed.”
For a senior, it has to be tough to accept that it’s soon-to-be all over, something felt wholeheartedly by Gordon.
“The last year is definitely bitter-sweet. It’s exciting to be a senior. You feel more comfortable and confident with three seasons under your belt, but they have gone by way too quickly,” said Gordon. “After being an athlete for so many years, it’s sad to accept this year as my last.”
This year’s group is small in number and very split age wise. The roster comprises many freshman and several seniors. You can hear this when you talk to the players, but you can also hear that, despite the age difference, they are a determined group ready to get to the playoffs.
Friday will hopefully start a new chapter, where all the chemistry this team has finally pays off. The Blue Devils will look to turn things around against Baldwin Wallace University on Sept. 9 at 3:30 p.m. This is the first game of the Fredonia Blue Devil Classic tournament being held next weekend.