Women’s Soccer Ends Season With Double-Overtime Tie
The Waynesburg University women’s soccer team headed to Westminster College Saturday, Oct. 29, to play in its last game of the season.
The game ended in a tie after two overtimes, with a final score of 1-1.
“Finish strong,” said head coach Laura Heethuis. “I told them to finish the season strong and to leave it all out on the field.”
The Yellow Jackets were able to score their first goal in the 25th minute of the match. The goal came from senior defender Melanie Burchfield, which was the final goal of her collegiate career.
The Jackets were able to keep up a defensive effort until the 89th minute of the match.
“I think the team played well defensively,” said junior defender Sam Nichols. “When it came to the teams that were very technical, we transitioned in the appropriate way by covering each other when someone got beat.”
In the 89th minute, Westminster were able to score a goal with just 35 seconds left on the clock. This goal sent the game into the first overtime.
Both teams were able to get shots on goal in the extra time, Westminster got off three attempts at the goal and the Jackets were able to get off two attempts.
The Jackets ended the season with an overall record of 5-11-2 and a conference record of 2-6-1.
“The team effort was great,” said Heethuis. “They played hard as a group until the final minute of play and, for a coach, that’s a great thing to see.”
Heethuis said after the game she showed appreciation for the seniors.
“As for the seniors,” said Heethuis. “I thanked them for their hard work and their dedication they showed through their years here on this team.”
An upside for the Jackets next season is the team will only lose a total of two players. The Jackets will have 19 returning players for the next season.
“We’re going to be a more developed this coming season,” said Nichols. “We had multiple new players that we weren’t used to playing with, but now that’s behind us and we know each other’s work ethic and the style of play. We have high expectations for the season to come back stronger and better.”
They seem to all be on the same page as a unit and are looking forward to competing at a higher level in the 2017 season.