Agathe Vanmassenhove || Sports Reporter
The playoffs for the Centennial Conference started on Tuesday the 31st of October for the women’s soccer team. Holding the fourth seed after the regular season, Coach Sumoski’s team played in the quarter-finals against Gettysburg, who finished fifth. F&M played the same opponent just a week earlier for their final regular season game at Tylus Field, leaving with a commanding win, with a final score of 2-0.
This same score was reproduced on Tuesday, with an even better-organized game by the Dips. The team controlled the ball throughout the game, passing beautifully between the defense and wingers. Still, the game was calm, with many of the Dips’ offensive drives stifled by Gettysburg’s defense around the goal. Even with 26 shots recorded by the Dips in the first 90 minutes of the game, either the shots went wild, or Gettysburg’s goalkeeper was there to stop it. Despite the strong play from their opposing goalkeeper, the Dips managed to get two shots on target, winning them the game.
The first goal was scored five minutes before halftime by Zoe Warne (#5), who, similarly to many other players during the game, took her shot from outside the box. The shot went in, giving the team the lead before halftime, a crushing blow psychologically to Gettysburg. The game remained calm once again, but five minutes before the end of the game, following several corner shots, the team put together a great offensive drive to seal the win. Mikaela Timmermans (#10) scored her 6th goal of the season with a very efficient inside-the-foot kick, assisted by a great deep pass delivered by Alison Francis (#2). The win allowed the Dips to progress in the Conference playoff to the semi-finals for a game against Swarthmore on November 3rd.
The girls ended with another win with a final score of 1-0, thanks to a goal header scored by Kate Boujoukos (#13) and assisted by Mikaela Timmermans. This victory sent them to the finale against Johns Hopkins, held on Sunday, November 5th. With great hopes of finishing the season with the trophy, the team fought hard throughout the game. But with the score tied at 1-1, the team sadly lost following a last-minute goal scored by Johns Hopkins.
As of now, the Dips are set to face Tufts in the NCAA DIII Women’s Soccer Tournament this Saturday, November 11th. Hopefully, they can follow up on their momentum and make another tournament run.
Sophomore Agathe Vanmassenhove is a Sports Reporter. Her email is avanmass@fandm.edu