The UR women’s soccer team’s streak of nine games without a loss finally came to an end this weekend against University Athletic Association rival Washington University in St. Louis, as the ‘Jackets fell 3-1 to the Bears. The Bears, most recently ranked 10th in the nation according the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, clinched the UAA title with the win and improved to 15-2 (5-1 UAA).
The ‘Jackets opened up the scoring against the Bears in the 17th minute of play, when junior midfielder Laura Bojko scored off a corner kick. The goal was Bojko’s third on the season, putting her second on the team in goals scored for the season.
For the week of Oct. 16, Bojko was also on the UAA honor roll for her performance against Carnegie Mellon University and Emory University.
“[In the first half] we were winning every 50-50 ball, and the play was in their half almost the whole time,” freshman forward Bridgette Varin, who is tied for the team lead in goals, said.
The lead didn’t last long, however. Less than two minutes later, the Bears got a goal off a cross from sophomore forward Caryn Rosoff that was finished by senior midfielder Abbey Hartmann.
“We played a really tough team on Friday against Wash U and came out strong,” senior midfielder Ali Streeter said. “But coming out in the second half, our level of play declined, and they stepped up theirs, putting in two more goals. It was a really physical game and a few key players were injured, taking them out of the Sunday game against Chicago.”
The game remained tied going into halftime and stayed knotted at one until midway through the second half, when Rosoff put the ball over senior goalie Molly Leitch’s head, giving the Bears a 2-1 lead. Rosoff had received a pass from junior midfielder Caitlin Malone and was able to connect for her seventh goal of the season.
Seven minutes later, it was Malone’s turn. The junior blasted a shot from 15 yards out that got past Leitch and put the game out of reach for UR. The unassisted goal was also Malone’s seventh of the season.
For the game, the Bears held slight advantages in both corner kicks and shots over the ‘Jackets, who were unable to mount any offensive threat in the second half. Leitch finished the game with one save, while Bears goalie Carrie Sear had two stops on the day. For the week of Oct. 16, Leitch was named the Defensive Player of the Week in the UAA for her shutout over Emory and her play against Carnegie Mellon.
UR hadn’t given up more than one goal in a game since a loss to Rochester Institute of Technology over a month ago, when they gave up two.
The Yellowjackets continued their road trip on Sunday when they traveled to Chicago to take on the Maroons of the University of Chicago, but again came up short in a 1-0 loss. Chicago is 3-1-2 in the UAA and, in the last six games, has only lost to Wheaton College, the No. 1 team in Division III, in double overtime.
“We went into the Chicago game a little bruised,” senior defender Amy Thompson said. “It was definitely hard to come back and play really well after a disappointing loss at Wash U. The outcome definitely could have been better, but I was proud that our team kept fighting until the very end of the game.”
The game remained tied for the first 35 minutes of play until Chicago’s Claire Gill headed a free kick cross from teammate Amanda Catalano past Leitch to give the Chicago Maroons their lone goal of the game.
“We had trouble putting passes together and that really hurt us,” Varin said. “If we had settled down and played our game, the result would’ve been different.”
Leitch had four stops for the ‘Jackets throughout the game, while Chicago goalie Amanda Sutter registered four saves. Chicago also held a 18-7 advantage in shots, including a 10-3 edge in the second half.
UR had the slight edge in corners, but overall was unable to escape the constant pressure the Maroons applied or get open for free shots.
Leading the ‘Jackets offensively was junior midfielder Sara Goico with two shots and Thompson with three shots.
The weekend’s games put UR in a fourth-place tie with Carnegie Mellon in the UAA. Chicago is now second, while third place belongs to the 14-1-2 Emory Eagles.
Hilfinger is a member of the class of 2010.
