The soccer season is quickly winding down for the Sagehens, and their luck does not seem to be improving from earlier in the year. With an overall record of 2-14-1 and a SCIAC record of 1-9-1, this has obviously not been a dramatically successful season. Nevertheless, Melanie Phillips '03 insists "our record has not shown what has been going on during our games."
On Saturday, the P-P team traveled to Redlands for a SCIAC match. Although goal keeper Alison Mathes '05 blocked ten shots on goal, the Redlands offense totally overwhelmed the Hens. The game was characterized by aggressive Redlands defensive play, which was very effective at preventing P-P from controlling the ball. The Hens managed only a meager number of shots on goal, ending the game with a 0-5 loss.
Head coach Eli Koenn-Bollinger says that P-P's main obstacle is consistency. "We're not playing to our full ability for the entire 90 minutes," Koenn-Bollinger explains.
That was an accurate description of Wednesday's home game against Cal Lutheran, during which the Hens' play was decidedly uneven.
There was a good deal of action in the first half. Cal Lutheran drew first blood with an early goal, but the Lady Hens were quick to take advantage of an opening in Cal Lutheran's defense, evening the score with a goal by Aliza Norwood '05. The rest of the first half went badly for the Hens, as P-P fell apart and Cal Lutheran scored three successive goals in less than fifteen minutes.
Fortunately, the Hens managed to pull themselves back together during half-time and played a much stronger second half. Anna Renery '06 slipped another goal past Cal Lutheran's goal keeper with the help of an assist by Ashley Hovey '06. Rachel Stephenson '03 played goal keeper for the Hens during the second half and made a number of great saves. At one point, she blocked a shot, but it was deflected back to a Cal Lutheran striker. The striker made another attempt to score, but Stephenson blocked the ball's path again, and P-P took control.
The Hens also controlled the ball much more effectively than during the first half, preventing additional Cal Lutheran goals. The final score was 2-4.
The team was disappointed with the loss, but pleased with the final portion of the game.
"We were slow to get started and showed some weakness, but I think the second half demonstrates that we can play effectively with any other team in conference," said Ashley Thompson '03.
Koenn-Bollinger was "disappointed with the first half but very pleased to see the team work hard and figure out a defense."
The challenges faced by the team include its youth and inexperience. However, Phillips thinks that this year's Hens are "a great group who have come together slowly and are doing a good job."
There are two games left in the season for the Sagehens. On Saturday at 1:00 pm, they will play Chapman, a team Coach Koenn-Bollinger says "was a strong opponent in our last game."
Following that match, P-P's plays its final game against Occidental on November 6th. Occidental beat the Hens 1-6 earlier this season, but Koenn-Bollinger says that the Hens have developed a new set of defensive plays, "We intend to show them that we are not a 1-6 team," Koenn-Bollinger said.
