(Box Score) Indianapolis, IN — At times in soccer, a tie result can be as good as a win.
Wednesday night for the Goshen College women’s soccer team, it was as good as a loss.
Goshen (4-9-3, 2-4-2) fought to a double-overtime, 1-1 tie at Mid-Central Conference rival Marian College Wednesday afternoon, but the end product did not overly help the squad: While a win would have given the Leafs a fifth-place finish in the final MCC regular-season standings, Wednesday’s tie dropped Goshen all the way to seventh.
That equated to a first-round match-up in this weekend’s MCC Tournament with 11th-ranked Spring Arbor University. A win would have pitted Goshen against Grace College.
“Despite playing an excellent first half and coming away with a draw in two overtimes tonight, our inconsistency took away a solid standing in the conference tournament,” said Thavisith Mounsithiraj, Goshen head coach. “While we are disappointed, we are excited to have an opportunity to continue playing. We’ll do our best to prepare for Spring Arbor.”
Things appeared favorable for Mounsithiraj’s team early in Wednesday’s match, as freshman Yaneth Hernandez scored just over 10 minutes into the action. Hernandez won a ball just outside Marian’s 18-yard box and put on a nifty display of dribbling, weaving through three Knights’ defenders before placing a shot to the right of Marian goalkeeper Allison Arth for the 1-0 lead.
“Both Yaneth and (sophomore) Kaylee Pichardo pressed forward very deep and very consistently,” Mounsithiraj said. “Yaneth was awarded for her solo effort with a fantastic goal after navigating her way through three defenders and a goal keeper. She has been a very consistent playmaker for us up front, and tonight was no exception.”
Goshen maintained a relative handle on things for the remainder of the first half, as the Leafs registered three shots on goal compared to Marian’s seven. Things changed at the outset of the second period, however, as it was the host Knights that came out with a fire. An eventual 14 to one difference in total second-half shots resulted, while Goshen could not recapture the type of play it displayed in the first 45 minutes.
Marian’s Brittney Knies scored in the game’s 64th minute, taking a misplayed ball in Goshen’s backfield and cashing in on a wide-open look as a result. The Knights’ Nicole Wallace was credited with an assist.
“In the second half, Marian was able to keep us from establishing any type of build up,” Mounsithiraj said. “Their direct style of play and quick counter attack kept us on our heels throughout the entire second half.”
Junior keeper Emmy Gibson was largely responsible for keeping things from getting any worse, finishing with eight total saves.
The Leafs did improve play in the overtime periods, only suffering a four to two differential in total shots. Perhaps Goshen’s best chance to unlock the tie came just moments following Marian’s goal, as freshman Liz Gunden nearly scored on a direct kick from just outside the Knights’ 18-yard box. Marian’s Arth made a spectacular save, barely thwarting the effort with a full-extension tap away.
“We put pressure on Marian early on with our short possession game through the midfield,” Mounsithiraj said. “Defensively we were playing with more confidence as evidenced by our ability to work the ball out of our defensive half with more purpose and accuracy. For whatever reason, we lost focus during the second half.”
Goshen’s final MCC standing of 2-4-2 fell below fifth-place Marian (3-4-1) and sixth-place Huntington (3-5), while a win would have placed the Leafs above both those squads.
Mounsithiraj’s team will now be making its second consecutive trip to Spring Arbor for first-round MCC Tournament action. The team dropped a 2-0 decision in last year’s tournament opener (click here for related article). Spring Arbor handed Goshen a narrow, 1-0 loss at the Goshen College Soccer Complex on Sept. 19 this season (click here for article). Goshen will now face off against the Cougars Saturday at 1 p.m.
“We have had some very competitive matches with them,” Mounsithiraj said. “We look forward to another very tight and fun match Saturday.”
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Freshman Yaneth Hernandez