Women’s soccer ended the season on a high note by blanking Case Western Reserve University, 3-0. This last regular-season victory resulted from both offensive and defensive talent.
Defense flexed its muscles throughout the game, holding CWRU to just one shot on goal. The Yellowjacket defense prevented the Spartans from intercepting the ball by controlling the ball well on the Rochester end of the field.
The Yellowjacket offense showed its skill constantly. They pressured the CWRU defense into allowing 16 shots on their goaltender, three of which were goals.
Sophomore Stephanie Klenotich recorded the Yellowjackets’ first goal at the later end of the first half. Senior Karen Forsythe initiated the play with a corner kick shot that landed in the middle of a poor CWRU defense. Klenotich retrieved the ball and nailed it into the corner of the net to give the Yellowjackets a 1-0 lead.
The Forsythe-Klenotich duo struck again with a dj vu move at the beginning of the second half. Forsythe connected with Klenotich off another corner kick. The shot, an accurate and deadly pass, found Klenotich, who drilled the ball into the back post.
The Yellowjackets refused to release the pressure against CWRU. Sophomore Emily Urbanczyk scored the third goal with 10 minutes remaining in the game. Sophomore Maureen Dudiak aided Urbanczyk in her score with a crisp pass that helped put the final nail in the coffin.
Urbanczyk recorded her eighth goal, which increases her total points on the season from 15 to 17.
The Yellowjackets ended their regular season sporting a winning record of 10-5-3. However, their University Athletic Association record fell below the .500 mark to 3-4. Even though CWRU belonged to the conference division, the victory failed to give the team a better record.
This losing record also prevented the Yellowjackets from qualifying for the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament. The team did, however, earn a position in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Northeast Regional Championships for the third consecutive year.
The last time women’s soccer won the championship was two years ago. The following year, they reached the title game.
Overall, the team has never missed a postseason spot right up to its inception into the Division III program.
The Yellowjackets square off against the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds, a team that boasts a record of 13-5-1. The Thoroughbreds enter the game having scored a total of 34 goals in 19 games where in 14 of their last 17 they scored at least once.
The Yellowjacket defense, however, has only relinquished 15 goals over their regular season stint of 18 games.
Serafini can be reached at jserafini@campustimes.org.
