Women’s soccer even at 2–2 to begin season
After competing in the Johns Hopkins University tournament Sept. 1–2, and in the Otterbein College tournament last weekend, the women’s soccer team has a 2–2 record, tallying eight goals for and seven against.
With the addition of assistant coach Betsy Warren, and the introduction of junior Mary Ashe, sophomore Eleonore Valencia, and first-years Kate Smith and Emily Overstreet to the starting lineup, the 2007 squad is significantly different from last year’s. Despite having a young team, Carnegie Mellon’s deep bench allowed the underclassmen to contribute in the first match of the season against the 16th-ranked Johns Hopkins.
Senior Kasey Stever put in the game’s first goal in the 39th minute of play. Stever received a cross from first-year Valerie Corvino and finished the ball to the far post to close out the first half on top.
The Blue Jays increased their offensive pressure, playing several skillful through balls, which were stopped by junior goalkeeper Christie Adams. Adams made five saves throughout the game.
Hopkins’ morale skyrocketed when junior Molly Steele scored the equalizer in the 69th minute. They concentrated on their defense and put a second goal in the back of the Tartans’ net at the 79-minute mark with an assist from Steele to Claire Pelura. With a final result of 2–1, Carnegie Mellon recorded its first loss of the season.
The Tartans rebounded from the loss, taking on Guilford College with more intensity and defeating them 4–1. Carnegie Mellon scored an early goal in the third minute from junior Abby Coffin and assisted by senior tri-captain Jessica Howard. In the 12th minute, Stever scored on a corner kick from senior tri-captain Amanda Rose.
Guilford came back at the 37-minute mark when Amanda Sperr scored its only goal.
The Tartans retaliated with two more goals, both of which were scored by Corvino and assisted by Rose in the 68th and 83rd minutes.
The Hopkins tournament set the Tartans up for last weekend’s matches against Kenyon and Otterbein colleges.
They took on Kenyon Saturday, and although Carnegie Mellon took a total of 16 shots in comparison to Kenyon’s seven, Kenyon got its three shots on frame in the back of the net, resulting in three goals.
The first goal of the game was scored in the 18th minute by Kenyon defender Brooke Rockwern off of a corner kick. It was not until the 68th minute that the second goal was scored, when forward Rachel Goheen received the ball in the center and chipped the ball over goalie Adams’s head. At the 77-minute mark, Kenyon midfielder Beth Blackey headed the ball into the back of the net, finalizing the score at 3–0.
After the loss to Kenyon, the Tartans took on Otterbein on Sunday with a revitalized spirit. Stever set the tone when she scored the game’s first goal in the fourth minute by heading a corner kick from Rose into the back netting.
Coffin followed a minute later scoring with an assist from Stever. Rose tallied the third goal of the match, rifling a shot from outside the box past Otterbein goalkeeper Tara Carter.
The Tartans were unable to sustain the shut-out when Otterbein forward Chanel Smith slid a ball past Adams in the 80th minute. The final score of the game was 4–1.
“I am excited to be working with the program,” Warren said. “I love the personalities of the team and am very impressed by the talent and dedication as a whole. This was a good eye-opener. It showed us that we can bounce back from great competition. Hopefully, it’s a turning point in the season and that we can continue to develop and succeed.”
The Tartans come to Gesling Stadium for the 2007 home opener Friday when they face the College of Wooster at 7:30 p.m.