Soccer Stumbles Agains Whittier
By Natalie Smith
Sports Writer

A slow start may be an understatement for the tough season the Pomona-Pitzer women’s soccer team has experienced so far this year.

With a 1-6 season, but a team of talented, hard workers, the disappointing scores don’t seem right.

The team had their first SCIAC game last weekend, but again, the Sagehens seemed to be missing something. P-P looked ready and capable to thoroughly pound on the Whittier Poets that hot Saturday afternoon. But alas, it was not to be.

The Sagehens started the game in possession of the ball and it looked like it would be a good battle. Unfortunately, in the middle of the first half there was a defensive breakdown, and the Poets slotted one in. Undeterred by the opposition’s gain, P-P continued the fight to tie up the score.

After a small amount of time had passed, opportunity struck for the Sagehens. Aliza Norwood ’05 had collected the ball in the midfield, making a fantastic move around a Whittier player, leaving the player in her dust. She passed to freshman forward Anna Rennery, who took advantage of her blazing speed and raced by the slower Poet defenders. She juked the goalie and passed the ball into the net.

Though the celebration on the sidelines was joyous, the happiness did not last. Because of some P-P defensive confusion, Whittier was able to put the ball back in the net.

Though the score does not indicate it, the defense and starting goalkeeper Alison Mathes ’05 made some beautiful saves.

Despite the disappointing first half, the Sagehens refused to give up. After attempting to work out their problems at halftime, P-P was ready for a comeback victory. In an almost identical play as what had resulted in the previous Sagehen goal, co-captain Becca Hummel ‘03 received the ball, turned, and made a successful pass toward the goal to Rennery. Rennery once again sped by her defenders and shot the ball past the keeper to tie the game. The defense stayed strong as the Sagehens attempted to gain the lead, but with 30 minutes left in the game, the Poets found an opening and scored.

The Sagehens never stopped battling but were rarely able to take advantage of their few opportunities.

The defense struggled to maintain a hold on the Whittier offense and again the Poets found the back of the net.

The game finished with a 4-2 win over the Sagehens.

Coach Eli Koenn-Bollinger believes the defensive strategy “was where we had the most difficulty in our last game [against Whittier].”

The team has struggled all season to find their rhythm. The team took the Whittier loss especially hard because it was their first SCIAC game. The Sagehens also suffered an embarrassing loss to Concordia last Wednesday, resulting in a score of 9-0. The Sagehens’ game against La Verne was canceled due to the nearby forest fires, and so they are continuing to prepare for their next SCIAC game, on Saturday, when they’ll face their archrivals, CMS.

As second year coach, Koenn-Bollinger has high hopes for the team and thinks “that once we get our defensive strategy down we’ll be fine.”

“We need to get more physical because La Verne is a very physical team. They will use their home field advantage… so we need to play physical and chaotic and crowded to confuse La

Verne while still settling the ball down and playing our game,” she said.
If the Sagehens can play with possession and a strong defense, while finishing even stronger, their hopes for a winning SCIAC season are still possible.