By Golnar Jalinous || Contributing Writer
The Franklin & Marshall Women’s Soccer season came to a close last Saturday after a loss to Tufts 2-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, a week after losing in the Centennial Conference Final to Johns Hopkins. A disappointing ending to what was a great season, the team finished the regular season with an impressive 12-2-4 record. The Diplomats were able to secure a fourth-place finish in the Conference with notable wins against Marywood (6-0), Haverford (5-0), and Ursinus (5-0). This form continued to the Centennial Conference play-off tournament where they brushed aside Gettysburg and the number one seed Swarthmore, before falling to Johns Hopkins in the final. Nevertheless, this season was one to remember for the team. This was the second time in the history of the program that the team made it to the Centennial Conference final.
Sophomore Lilian Williams (#15) was the top scorer for the Diplomats with an impressive eight goals across the season and was awarded her first All-Centennial honors. Williams’ favorite moment from the season was the Diplomat’s big win against Swarthmore in the Centennial Conference semi-final when Kate Boujkos’s first-half header sealed the win for the Diplomats.
“Every single player put their body on the line, and fought to the very end,” Williams explained. “That game really showed how much we grew together over the season.”
Junior Alex Wilson (#23) and Senior Bri Skidmore (#22) were awarded second-team All-Centennial Conference recognition, while Freshman Colleen Ferrarese (#29) and Senior Alison Francis (#2) were honorable mentions. Sophomore Elizabeth Jones (#26) was also named to the All-Sportsmanship team, capping off the team’s excellent season. Coach John Sumoski will be eager to build off of this season and achieve even more in the years to come.
Freshman Golnar Jalinous is a contributing writer. Her email is gjalinou@fandm.edu