(Box Score) Fort Wayne, IN — Goshen head coach Thavisith Mounsithiraj said that his team needed an extra 20 minutes of warm-up time Saturday at Mid-Central Conference foe University of St. Francis.
Unfortunately, the game clock was already running.
The host Cougars netted a pair of scores in the first 16 minutes of play Saturday afternoon, handing Goshen (4-8-2, 2-4-1) a 2-0 MCC loss in a crucial league affair.
“We were very competitive with the St. Francis side on Saturday for about 70 minutes,” Mounsithiraj said. “Unfortunately, we were completely dominated by their play for the first 20 minutes.”
With junior goalkeeper Emmy Gibson sidelined — from her keeper position, at least — Mounsithiraj inserted classmate Amy Clem for her first career start in goal. Despite being recruited out of high school as a backstop, Clem has developed into a sturdy defender in the field, starting every game as an outside defender since her arrival to campus in 2005.
An early Goshen mistake in the backfield allowed St. Francis’ Ashley Henry a one on one opportunity with Clem just 11 minutes into play, however, and the Cougars got on the board. USF’s Jessica Taghon delivered a second score just five minutes later.
“Once again an early turnover resulted in an early goal for our opponent,” Mounsithiraj said. “St. Francis has a number of quality players with experience, and they made sure we paid for our mistakes.”
The Leafs were able to settle down following the Cougars’ initial push, eventually maintaining a strong defensive effort that thwarted the majority of a 26 to six disadvantage in total shots on the afternoon. Clem finished with seven saves in a full game in goal, while going against 18 total shots on goal from the hosts.
Gibson was inserted as a forward in both halves, coming up with one of Goshen’s five shots on the St. Francis’ frame. Freshman Chelsea Graber had two, while senior Kelsey Hartman and sophomore Trish Hershberger were responsible for one each.
Goshen’s best chances to mount a comeback came in the final 10 minutes of regulation, as sophomore forward Kaylee Pichardo was able to push a ball past charging USF keeper Stacey Rider with just over nine minutes remaining. With Rider out of the box, the ball slowly rolled to the far post of the goal, aching to be placed in the back of the net to cut the lead in half.
Graber and freshman Yaneth Hernandez were just a tad slow in getting there, however, as the ball trickled harmlessly off the endline.
“Amy Clem did a very good job in goal for us in her first start,” Mounsithiraj said. “We made a number of key substitutions midway through the first half just to help push more pressure on the St. Francis’ defense. After the two goals, our kids didn’t go through the motions and wait for the game to end. They continued to play hard and well for the remainder of the match. St. Francis is a very good team, especially on their home field, and I am pleased with the way we responded despite our injuries.”
Senior forward Lucy Roth was able to start despite a swollen ankle. Goshen College athletic training personnel have listed both Roth and Gibson (in goal) as questionable for the Leafs’ next contest.
Goshen’s injuries warrant an extended layoff, but the team will get no such break, as the Leafs will host perennial power Cornerstone University on Monday. Goshen’s four seniors in Roth, Hartman, Sara Groff and Erica Hartman will be honored prior to the contest. Match time is set for 6 p.m. at the Goshen College Soccer Complex.
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Freshman Chelsea Graber