HU’s season came to a sudden
end in the first round of the MCC Tournament as they went down to the
University of St. Francis by a score of 4-0. St. Francis opened the
scoring when the Foresters failed to clear a ball in the box. Megan
Garret was first to the ball and touched it to Mary Whistler for the
score in the 13th minute. Whistler doubled the lead 13 minutes later
when the Foresters again failed to clear and she found the back of the
net. Huntington’s best opportunity in the first half came when Sarah
Kaufman got behind the defense with only the keeper to beat but was
brought down from behind just outside the penalty area. With no
caution given, the Foresters were left with just a direct kick as a
consolation, which the Cougars defended well.
In the second half, the Foresters tried to get back
in the game and Kaufman once again found herself behind the Cougar
defense with only the keeper to beat. Once again she was brought
down from behind just outside the penalty area. The free kick yielded
the same result and the Cougars maintained their lead. With 20 minutes
to go in the game and their season on the line, the Foresters moved to
a more offensive formation. But the Cougars exploited the more
vulnerable defense almost immediately to make it 3-0. Moments later
Ashley Gonterman got behind the Cougar left back but her drive to the
upper left corner of the goal was well saved by Cougar keeper, Stacy
Rider. With time winding down and the Foresters still looking for a
consolation goal, St. Francis once again found the back of the net to
complete the scoring.
"The score didn’t reflect it, but we played much
better today than we did when we faced St. Francis earlier in the
season," said Coach Datema. "I thought we were much more
competitive this time around and we played with a lot of heart, but
the better team won. Sarah gave a lot of effort today and it was
unlucky that she didn’t score. It was an emotional game for seniors
Joy Bamford, Kara Fultz, Shannon Holly, Mindy Perry, Christi Shook and
perhaps Ashley Gonterman,
who is a senior,
but still has a year of eligibility left, as
they played the final game of their college careers. This group has
done a lot to build our program over the last four years and they
should be proud of that."
