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Women's soccer hurt by weather

By Jon Amell

On October 22, 2009

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The Norwich women's soccer team looks to pick up play for the rest of the year after a tie and a loss in recent action.

The team tied Albertus Magnus after being behind by two goals from Karissa Doyon on Oct. 3. The weather may have had an effect on the outcome of the game. Also Norwich was having alumni weekend which can add some pressure to some players.

"Alumni weekend is a chance when those that once played come back and when a lot of families have the opportunity to make it to Norwich so knowing that we have extra eyes adds an excitement that for some can turn to nerves," said Ashley Sanford, a 21-year-old senior biology major from Holden, Maine.

The team didn't play the way they would have liked against Albertus. "The team's efforts were OK, but I feel that we played down to Albertus's level. We had some great passing through the mid-field and opportunities to finish, but we just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net," said Nikki Szczepanski, a 20-year-old junior biology major from Auburn, N.Y.

Along with the added pressure it was a rainy Vermont day at Howard field that weekend, and the rain may have had an effect on the game. "The weather plays a large role in how we do. The weather was a little rainy and cold so everyone was slipping and sliding all over the place. It shouldn't be an excuse, but it does play a large role in the outcome of a game sometimes," said Meghan Kennedy, a 19-year-old sophomore political science major from Lowell, Mass.

The team played well enough to tack a tie out of the game and looked to improve the outcome against a Simmons team that was ranked fourth in the conference (GNAC) on Oct. 7.

The women's team came up a bit short in a one-goal loss to the traveling Simmons team. Howard field didn't give the Norwich team an advantage like many home games do.

"Weather was a bit of a problem but we clearly outplayed them. We missed some opportunities on net that we need to take advantage of. Our goal for future games is to collect ourselves in the backfield and do more ground ball passing," Sanford said.

The team didn't put a great foot forward in the Simmons outing and seemed to lack the spark that the team usually has on the field. "We looked like we didn't want the win during the first half. We stepped it up the second half, and should have come through with a win, but sadly we just couldn't finish. I know our coaches were disappointed with us," Kennedy said.

The team still has a chance to make playoffs, but will have to win the remaining conference games they play. To help the team make it to playoffs the team has picked up the work ethic in practice and worked on putting the ball in the net.

"We're picking it up in practices, working on finishing and setting up plays. Mostly we just have to come together and put out a solid effort to make playoffs and to perform well in them," said Stacey Flint, a 19 year-old sophomore architecture major, from Jay, N.Y.