Huntington, IN — After a season decimated by nagging injuries and near-misses, the Goshen College women’s soccer team dropped a 1-0 decision to Mid-Central Conference rival Huntington University Tuesday afternoon, concluding the squad’s season in the process. With a winless record in league competition, Goshen (2-14-1, 0-8) did not qualify for the MCC Tournament for the first time in the history of the 15-year program. After the addition of Spring Arbor University gave the conference nine teams last season, league coaches elected not to play an eighth-place ninth-place play-in game, instead deciding to keep the ninth place team out of post-season play altogether.

Even with that bitter pill to swallow, the Leafs had the opportunity to conclude its season with a win, a feat the team accomplished last season after a rare scheduling quirk allowed an extra match following MCC Tournament competition. In that instance, Goshen defeated Tri-State University 2-0 to conclude the 2004 campaign. The team was not as fortunate Tuesday at Huntington.

“I was deeply disappointed and saddened that we were not able to end our season with a win for our two seniors (Tara Plank and Molly Kauffman),” said Thavisith Mounsithiraj, Goshen head coach. “Tara once again was asked to play with injury which was very evident throughout the match. Even though she was not able to make any good chances with one-v-one at the goal, which is her strength, she was able to make good distribution with her first touch. Molly, who has been the anchor at the midfield position, played another 90 minutes without rest today. We will surely miss their presence next season. They certainly have given us some wonderful and memorable moments during the course of their careers here.”

Plank — who underwent surgery to repair damaged compartmental tissue in both her calves prior to the outset of the season — never truly found her groove during the year, greatly diminishing the team’s goal scoring chances as a result. Playing in constant pain, Plank was just one of a variety of Leafs to struggle through season-long injuries, as Mounsithiraj found himself trying to piece together lineups in nearly every match.

“There is no question that injuries played a big part of our season,” Mounsithiraj said. “We never could really get into a rhythm either in training or in matches, because we had people nursing injuries nearly every day. It wore on us collectively, and it showed in our performance.”

Still, Mounsithiraj’s squad managed to put together valiant efforts in a tough conference, dropping eight of its 14 losses by two goals or less on the season. Tuesday at Huntington, Goshen again rallied to make a strong push, only to fall due to a lack of scoring opportunities: Huntington was able to reel off eight shots on the Goshen net, while the Leafs only tallied a pair of looks on the other end of the field.

Huntington was able to break through for the lone score of the match at the 32nd minute-mark, but Goshen continued to play hard for an equalizer. Sophomore midfielder Lucy Roth gave the squad its best chance to score early in the second half, when she made a run into Huntington’s 18-yard box and drilled a shot that missed the goal wide by mere inches. Goshen was able to match its opponent in corner kicks (two for each side) for the first time in four matches.

“We certainly had our opportunities at their side,” Mounsithiraj said. “Despite being down pretty early in the match, we kept going at them. Huntington is a very good offensive team that looks to attack very quickly. They have a very potent striker in sophomore Sarah Kauffman. I thought our defense was once again very tough in defending her. She received a number of good passes in our defending third but she never had a quality look at our goal. On our side, Lucy came within inches of scoring after a penetrating run into their 18-box. Had she been able to score, I really felt we could have turned the momentum in our favor.”

Despite a season that did not live up to expectations, Mounsithiraj said he is excited with where the program is headed. The Leafs have a number of talented recruits aligned to comprise its 2006 incoming class, while a core group of young returners should give the program a reason to be optimistic.

“I am encouraged by the fact that we have a number of young players who are emerging and consistently demonstrating what they can do,” Mounsithiraj said. “We are bringing in a number of recruits who we strongly believe will make an immediate impact. We have the desire and resources to be more competitive. We will get better.”

Check back to this website for continual off-season information, including recruiting news and team announcements. To contact Coach Mounsithiraj, call him at (574) 535-7539 or click here to send him an email.