The Colby Echo

Issue date: 9/16/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Caroline Dickson

With the sun high in the sky on a beautiful fall afternoon, the Colby women's soccer team opened its season with a thriller against the visiting Bantams of Trinity College. The game was a see-saw affair, ultimately concluding in a 0-0 draw that left the spectators exhilarated and the players exhausted.

Loni Pisani '11 was an absolute force in the net for Colby, stopping 13 shots en route to her first of shutout game this season. Pisani absolutely stood on her head in overtime, expertly parrying away a barrage of dangerous balls in the box to stymie the hapless Bantam forwards and earn Colby the point. The women also did well offensively, launching 14 shots and forcing the Trinity goalkeeper to make nine saves.
Regulation saw both teams have several chances to score, with Senior Captain Meg Guay '10 controlling the midfield for the Mules and sending several searching through balls to create chances for the forwards. In the back, Su-Lin Del Guercio '11 and Captain Lexi Bohonnon '10 denied any and all attempts by Trinity to break through for the go-ahead goal, and were consistently stingy throughout the entire contest.

In the overtime period, the defense was again the star for Colby. The line held firm in spite of the pressure from Trinity's forwards, with outside back and co-captain Hannah Holbrook '10 delivering excellent service to the forwards as the Mules put equally strong pressure on the Bantam back line. With the mounting pressure to score as the overtime period began to wind down, both teams increased their presence in the other's penalty area, unwilling to settle for a tie.

It was in the face of this pressure that the experienced Colby back line rose to the occasion, turning away the Bantams time and again. Within the last five minutes of the game, Pisani turned away four point-blank shots and was aided on one particularly exciting play by Holbrook, who zoomed from her outside back position to clear a Trinity shot off the line that would have prematurely ended the overtime session. The final sequence of the game tested the composure of the entire Colby team, and it stood tall as Pisani made two absurd sprawling saves and the back line cleared two corner kicks in the final seconds to preserve the tie. "Loni's composure and confidence really shined in the last five minutes of the second overtime," Bohonnon said of the efforts of Mule goalkeeper.

This weekend, the Mules will travel to Middletown, Conn., to take on the Cardinals of Wesleyan. "With a tie against Trinity under our belt, we're now prepared to take on the Cardinals this weekend," Bohonnon said. Wesleyan had a rough go of it against Williams College (the #3 team in the nation) this weekend, falling by a score of 5-0. Colby will look to capitalize and kick the wounded Cardinals while they are down as it continues its ascent up the league table.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools