(Box Score) Spring Arbor, MI — As time elapsed during the second half of Saturday’s Mid-Central Conference Tournament first-round contest between Goshen College and 11th-ranked Spring Arbor University, it could be assumed that Leafs’ head coach Thavisith Mounsithiraj began to think about what might have been 218 miles to the south.
Goshen’s regular-season finale at Marian College — taking place a mere three days prior — was the reason his team was playing at Spring Arbor, the squad’s 1-1 double-overtime tie with the Knights dropping the Leafs all the way to seventh in the final MCC standings (click here for related article).
Possessing an early 1-0 lead in that contest, a Goshen win would have meant finishing as the fifth-place team in the regular season, pitting the Leafs against Grace College on Saturday instead.
As Marian rolled to a 1-0 win over the Lancers in its first-round MCC Tournament contest, Goshen could not find as much success at Spring Arbor, dropping a 6-0 decision and concluding the team’s 2007 campaign as a result.
For Mounsithiraj, the thoughts of Thursday’s Marian game were ever-present.
“We missed being in fifth place in our conference by just one goal,” Mounsithiraj said following Saturday’s result. “When you’re talking about playing Spring Arbor (in the first round of the conference tournament), that’s a really big difference.”
That disparity was evident early for Goshen (4-10-3, 2-4-2), as the 11th-rated Cougars found the offense easier to come by than in their narrow, 1-0 win at Goshen back on Sept. 19 (click here for article). SAU’s Crisse Strohmaier got the scoring started just 16 minutes into play, taking a pass from Brittany Zuzga and slipping a shot past junior goalkeeper Emmy Gibson.
The Cougars’ Katie Saylor was able to connect on a rebound shot just seven minutes later, and Goshen’s defense-first, counter-attack next mentality suffered a severe blow.
“Spring Arbor showed us today why they should be ranked in the top 10 in the country,” Mounsithiraj said. “They were well-organized and balanced in their play. Their speed of play possession game had us on our heels from the beginning, and there were times when there were three to four attackers inside of our 18 (-yard box). We did not have an opportunity to organize ourselves in such a way that would allow us to counter-attack, and that made it tough for us.”
Despite giving up a total 29 shots and 20 on goal, Goshen was able to thwart the Cougars’ efforts for the remainder of the first period, trailing by the 2-0 margin at the intermission. Goshen would only attempt four total shots on the afternoon (two on goal), while being out corner-kicked by a five to nothing margin.
“During the first half, I thought the girls did a solid job not only in defending a very potent attacking team but also trying to put together some combinations up front,” Mounsithiraj said. “We played SAU straight up instead of committing to man marking in our defensive third. The two goals that were scored in the first half resulted from a breakdown in our marking. Given the pressure that we were under, sooner or later SAU was going to find a seam in our defense.”
That seam was exposed during a 23-minute stretch in the second half, as the Cougars tacked on an additional four scores during that span to run away with things. Goals at the 47:59, 55:00, 67:12 and 71:20 minute-marks were all moot in nature, as only senior Sara Groff and sophomore Kaylee Pichardo were able to tally shots on goal for the Leafs.
Gibson finished with 14 saves on the afternoon, while Spring Arbor was whistled for 19 fouls (Goshen was cited for seven infractions). The host Cougars were also whistled for being offsides on four occasions — Goshen did not violate that rule during play more as a result of being on the defensive for the majority.
Despite the lopsided loss — and subsequent end to the careers of seniors Groff, Lucy Roth, Erica Hartman and Kelsey Hartman — Mounsithiraj is optimistic about the future of the program, as Goshen equaled the most MCC wins during his tenure as head coach. Goshen defeated Bethel College for the first time since the 2002 season (click here for article) and Taylor University for the first time since ’97 (click here for article).
“We have a very good outlook for the future,” Mounsithiraj said. “We have become much more competitive in our conference. In addition to our two big wins, we tied Marian and Grace and had a couple of great opportunities in our first match with Spring Arbor and in a 2-1, overtime loss at Huntington University. Given the youth on this team, finishing 2-4-2 in this conference gives me hope for the future of our program.”
Check back to this site for team news and updates during the off-season. To contact head coach Thavisith Mounsithiraj, call him at (574) 535-7539 or click here to send him an email.
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Senior Sara Groff