Women's Soccer Narrowly Falls to Chapman, Regroups Against Occidental for 2-0 Victory in Final Contest
By Drew Perraut
Sports Writer

The Pomona-Pitzer women’s soccer team ended its season on a high note this week with a win in its final game against Occidental. The Hens end their season with a record of 3-15-1.

The team has faced a difficult, rebuilding season and many games were characterized by excellent play but narrow losses. The players agree that their record simply does not accurately reflect how far they have come as a group since the pre-season. The final two games they played this week demonstrate that fact. Despite the loss, the team was very strong against Chapman and followed up the game with the win over Occidental.

The Lady Hens played their penultimate game against Chapman at home on Saturday. Neither team had a clear advantage for the majority of the game, and both seemed to play with the same level of intensity. During the first half, P-P adopted a defensive strategy that effectively held the Chapman offense at bay but did not allow the Sagehens enough opportunities for shots on goal. The half ended in a scoreless deadlock.

For the second period the Hens changed tactics, playing much more aggressively and making a number of attempts on goal. Unfortunately, this weakened the P-P defense. Toward the end of the half, scoring a goal for the Sagehens seemed to be only a matter of time, but after a near-miss, Chapman ducked through a hole in the Sagehen defense and scored.

Rather than conceding, the Hens visibly redoubled their efforts, playing even more aggressively. In particular, Anna Renery ’06, the team’s star forward, deftly advanced through the Chapman defense again and again, only to be stopped by the goal keeper. Despite the effort, the Chapman offense managed a second goal only moments before the end of the game, bringing the final score to 2-0.

Though their defeat was depressing, it was obvious that the Hens were not outclassed. The loss was due more to bad luck than a matter of skill.

Pomona-Pitzer’s final match of the year was played on Tuesday night at Occidental in what became a very physical game. When P-P first played Occidental in mid-September, they were soundly defeated 1-6, but the Hens insisted that they were better players than the score reflected. Last week, Coach Eli Koenn-Bollinger predicted that P-P’s last game would demonstrate that “we are not a 1-6 team,” and the final score proved her right. Driven by what Koenn-Bollinger referred to as “an intense desire to finish the season strongly,” the Lady Hens played an excellent game. As before, they began the match in a defensive stance to avoid any early Occidental scores. Goalkeeper Rachel Stephenson ’03 was instrumental. She played the entire game and stopped no less than ten shots on goal, ending the half with a tie-score of 0-0.

During the final period, the Sagehens pressed forward, determined to find the back of the net. Only minutes into the half, the P-P offense outmaneuvered Occidental, allowing Renery to make the Hens’ first goal with an assist from Ashley Thompson ’03. Though they had a lead, P-P did not become overconfident. The team continued to play solidly on all fronts, and Renery scored a second goal with an assist from Lauren Denny ’06, ending the game with a 2-0 victory.

On the way back to campus, Caitlin Barrett ’06 described the team’s mood as “very excited, very happy. We worked all season, and it really paid off tonight.” Though the final game went well, the Hens’ record for the year was not particularly impressive, a point Koenn-Bollinger addresses: “Our record was a little disappointing, but this was a successful season. The seniors who are moving on have helped to establish a good team that will be able to play very well in coming seasons.” Barrett underlines this point, saying that, as a returning player, she is already “looking forward to next season.” Most members of the team are content to revel in their upset a little longer.

Koenn-Bollinger, who confidently predicted a surprise for Wednesday’s game, proudly says of her team, “They were determined to finish the season on a good note, and that’s exactly what they did.”