Allegheny Women’s Soccer was eliminated from the playoffs last Saturday, dropping a 2-1 contest to Thomas More College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Jessie Thiessen, ’17, scored the lone Gator goal in the match, finding the net with only 30 seconds remaining.
Fellow first-year Liana Leja’s cross was found by Thiessen, who knocked in a thumping header for her team-leading eleventh goal of the season. However, the goal came with only thirty seconds left and Allegheny was unable to tie it up as time expired.
The Saints (18-1-2) struck on goals in both halves to top the Gators. It was the first time in 10 matches that Allegheny was outshot. Goalkeeper Gabby Curtis ’15 was forced to make four saves over the afternoon while Allegheny was outshot 14-6. With the victory Thomas More extends their win streak to fourteen games and will play Capital University in St. Louis on Saturday.
“Thomas More was a much more high pressure team than we were used to,” said Emily Byers, ’14. “We have a dynamic that works well and unfortunately sometimes when you change it up in more ways than one, it can lead everyone to become slightly frantic.”
Allegheny struggled to find a foothold in the match without a couple key players. Forward Emily Byers, ’14, missed out due to illness and Sarah Shindler, ’16, sat out the match as well.
“We just couldn’t get in a good rhythm and it was easy for them to close down on us,” said Head Coach Michael Webber.
Allegheny concluded their season with an 11-6-4 record amid a slew of post season accolades. Jessie Thiessen,’17, was a First Team All-Conference performer in addition to being named NCAC Freshman of the Year. Seniors Alison Buzzard and Leanne Balster were awarded with First Team honors at the midfielder and defender spots, respectively.
Second Team All-Conference honorees for the Gators were Lauren Miller, ’16, and Hannah Zangara ,’16, while junior Jaymee Wallace received Honorable-Mention plaudits. Finally, Coach Webber gathered up the NCAC Coach of the Year Award.
I’ve been lucky enough to be able to play with a bunch of awesome teammates,” said Leanne Balster. “I wasn’t expecting that type of recognition.”
“It comes down to the players, if they perform well, you look like a genius,” added Coach Webber.
Five seniors will graduate after accumulating a 45-22-12 record in their four years. During that time the team made two NCAA Tournament appearances and claimed an NCAC Championship.
