The Guilfordian

Unfortunately, Saturday afternoon was not the celebration that the Guilford women's soccer team was looking for, as they were sent home by Lynchburg College in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) tournament.

In the first half, the Quakers proved their ability by staying neck and neck with the fourth seeded hornets. Their defense was smothering and held strong. Every minute was a contested battle and the ladies took the Hornets into halftime tied, 0-0.

"Saturday's first half performance was probably the best that we have played defensively all season long," said defender Ashlee Dieck. "As a defense, we really focused on keeping Lynchburg scoreless during the first and last five minutes of the half, which really boosted our confidence when we were tied 0-0 at halftime."

The strong first half by the Quakers kept them in the game, and gave them confidence going into the second period of play.

"We dominated all over the field in the first half, but could not get any shots on goal," said junior Caroline Hemeter. "After this 45 minutes of quality play, you could sense the anxiousness and frustration of the Lynchburg team."

However, a scoreless first half wouldn't hold up, as Lynchburg came out with increased energy and urgency to score.

"The second half began with a completely different tone than the first," Hemeter said. "Lynchburg seemed to have regained their energy and stepped up to compete with Guilford."

Lynchburg's two second half goals were scored by Ashley Hoath in the 52nd minute of play, and by Audrea Hamby in the 56th. Though the Quakers suffered a tough defeat, the score is certainly not a fair representative of the game's character.

Guilford never vanished, but rather stayed right with Lynchburg the entire game. They proved to be contenders, and if the little bit of luck that went Lynchburg's way had gone theirs instead, we may have seen them move on instead.

"The tone of play was generally composed overall, which led to some great opportunities up top," Dieck said. "We just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net."

Saturday afternoon was certainly a disappointment, but even more poignant is the loss of four seniors: Micki Boulineau, Morgan Jones, Sarah Rohan, and Jacquelin White. The loss aside, these seniors were part of so much more. Although they didn't go out with a victory, they were more than proud of the commitment they've made over the past four years.

"Of course saying goodbye to organized sports, which has been a part of my life since I was eight, was not easy," Rohan said. "With that being said, there was a sense of pride and accomplishment that accompanied the completion of my last intercollegiate game. And while my senior season may not have been record breaking or newsworthy, I am happy with the legacy that my fellow senior teammates and I left behind." Morgan Jones, one of the team's captains felt similar.

"Collegiate soccer was not something I had planned for myself, but once I became involved with the Guilford College women's soccer team, I knew that it would be one of the most exciting aspects of my college career," Jones said. "Now that soccer is over it is difficult to imagine what college would have been like without it. On Saturday when the final buzzer sounded it was similar to the feeling you get when you finish reading a really good book, you are glad to have accomplished the task but wish that it was a few chapters longer."

Saturday was a day of sad goodbyes. A hardworking team said goodbye to their championship hopes, with a hard fought loss. Even sadder, four dedicated seniors said goodbye to their coach, their teammates and friends, and a sport they love.

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