Whiting, IN — After a disheartening start to the 2006 season, the Goshen College women’s soccer team finally showed the promise it was believed to possess, taking down Calumet College by a 3-0 score Saturday afternoon.

Two of the Leafs’ scores were knocked in by freshmen, giving head coach Thavisith Mounsithiraj great reason to be encouraged for the immediate future of his program.

“You have to remember, the first portion of our schedule this year was extremely difficult,” Mounsithiraj said following Saturday’s match. “Coming into this weekend, the combined record of our opponents that we lost to was 20-4-1. I was very pleased with the way we came out and attacked today. We had a strong showing from many of our young players, which leads me to believe we have a bright future ahead of us.”

Among those noted young players was freshman midfielder/forward Trish Hershberger, who had missed the Leafs’ initial five contests due to a lack of medical clearance. She quickly made her first collegiate appearance impressive on Saturday, blasting a first-half score — just the third of the season for the team.

“It was nice to finally see Trish Hershberger in uniform today,” Mounsithiraj said. “She worked very hard training in the off-season to be ready to play. After getting medical clearance this week she got a couple of practices in and gave us very valuable minutes today. She will only continue to get better as she adjusts to the college game and will be a force in the coming years.”

Goshen (2-4, 0-0) began the match with an attack mentality, as just three minutes in it was a senior — Mary Jo Martin — putting the first score on the board. Martin used her speed to chase down a loose ball just outside of the Crimson Wave’s 18-yard box, maneuvering around the approaching keeper for a nifty shot into an open goal. It was a sign of things to come.

“It’s always nice to start the game with a score,” Mounsithiraj said. “Mary Jo had a very effective overall game.”

With a 1-0 lead just moments after the opening kickoff, Goshen did not let up. The Leafs’ defense continually created chances down the field, helping to a 13 to three advantage in total shots on goal for the afternoon.

“That was probably what I was most happy with,” Mounsithiraj said, “the way our defense pushed up and created offense for us. We kept our shape very well into the attacking third of the field and produced several chances on their goal.”

Those chances led to Hershberger’s score in the game’s 34th minute, as the first-year player took a beautiful, low-flying cross from classmate Kaylee Pichardo in Calumet’s goal mouth for a perfectly executed score.

Going into the half with a lead for the first time this season, the Leafs continued their dominance in the second period. Continuous pressure kept Calumet from mounting any sort of an offensive attack, and with just 17 minutes remaining it was Pichardo tallying her first collegiate goal. Senior Hannah Eash took a free kick near midfield and sent a perfect ball over the defense and to the feet of Pichardo, who made a brilliant run before pushing the ball past Calumet’s keeper in the lower left corner of the goal.

“Today was the first time this season that we really functioned to our potential in all areas of the field,” Mounsithiraj said. “Every dressed player got in the game and gained valuable experience. (Freshman) Ali Gotwals continued to be aggressive from both her center midfield and outside defensive back positions, distributing the ball well in the midfield. (Freshman) Allison Yoder made several overlapping runs up the sideline from her defensive back position creating offensive chances. (Sophomore) Amy Clem consistently challenged and won 50-50 balls out of the air, while (junior) Sara Groff distributed the ball well from center midfield and created many opportunities to score. Her aggression helped us to set the tone of the game.”

And while Goshen did not waste time in scoring its initial goal, the squad may have tacked on a tally even earlier had it not been for a missed penalty kick. Goshen was fouled just two and a half minutes into play, but Groff’s PK sailed over the goal to keep a scoreless tie in place. Groff nearly made up for the miss with two minutes remaining in regulation, however, as a rocket shot from 30 yards out ricocheted off the cross bar and bounced harmlessly away from the Crimson Wave goal.

Junior Lucy Roth missed her second consecutive game due to an ankle injury. Mounsithiraj said he expects her back in the lineup for Goshen’s next contest.

The Leafs will open the Mid-Central Conference portion of their schedule Tuesday night at the Goshen College Soccer Complex, when the team hosts Huntington University. That match is the first of a men’s-women’s double-header, with game time set for 6 p.m. Goshen’s men’s team will face Manchester College immediately following that contest, with an approximate kick-off of 8 p.m. Tuesday’s women’s contest is slated to be broadcast via 91.1 FM The Globe. Click here for webcast information.