The No. 8-ranked women's soccer team finished its 2012 regular season with a scoreless tie against Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). With the tie, the Eagles finish with a final record of 11-1-6 this season. They were 3-1-3 in the University Athletic Association (UAA) play.
Monday morning, the NCAA announced that the team would be awarded an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament.
"I thought we didn't necessarily play great soccer as such, because of the turf, but I thought we played hard," Head Coach Sue Patberg said. "We were committed to winning the ball, tackling, and defending and attacking together. We also were able to create a lot of good chances inside the 18-yard box, which is something we've improved on since last weekend."
The Tartans' field is a turf one, which makes it more difficult for the Eagles, who normally play on a grassy field.
"The ball bounces much more and rolls faster," freshman defender Ally Peterson said. "We had to change our whole game plan".
Despite the challenges of playing on a different type of field, the Eagles dominated the shooting front with a 16-6 advantage over the Tartans, which included a 10-3 edge in shots on goal. Although the Eagles had the majority of the scoring opportunities, they were not able to convert any of their chances into goals.
"We played better and more as a team than we have in our last few games. Though we didn't get the result we wanted, we had so many great chances," Patterson said.
Nearing the end of the first half, the Eagles had a chance to pull ahead and take the lead. In the 44th minute of play, junior defender Lauren Drosick headered a kick from senior midfielder Lee Bachouros' corner kick. Drosicks' headered the shot towards the Tartans' net, but a CMU defender was able to clear the ball to keep it a 0-0 game.
"Lauren Drosick played really well," Patberg said, "She had to mark number 21, who was one of Carnegie's key players. She shut her out. I thought our whole defense played really well."
After 45 minutes of play, the Eagles were at a 4-1 advantage in shots, including a 2-1 edge in shots on goal.
The second half followed in a similar fashion, with the Eagles continuing to hold possession of the ball for most of the game time. They outshot the Tartans 9-4 as the game got rough with a 47 minute yellow card to freshman midfielder Jordan Morell.
Senior goalkeeper Kaele Leonard finished the second half strong in the 88th minute with a pair of saves, both coming during a stretch of a minute. Her first save denied a shot by CMU's junior forward Alex Venegas while her second save blocked CMU's senior midfielder Katie Davis' header off a resulting corner kick.
With the score tied at 0-0 after 90 minutes of play, the game would be decided in overtime. During the overtime periods, the Eagles commanded a shooting advantage of 3-1. Another yellow card was given, this time to CMU's freshman midfielder Carson Quiros. The game stagnated, with fewer shots as both teams rolled in substitutions to try to change the outcome.
"We played well. We were pressing hard, creating opportunities," Patberg said.
The game ended with sophomore forward Emily Feldman, junior defender Clare Mullins, and freshman midfielder Veronica Romero, all tied for the game lead with three shots a piece. Feldman, Romero and Bachouros each had game highs with the two shots on goal.
"I thought that Clare Mullins really stepped her game up a lot. This was one of the better games she's had – she was so consistent," Patberg said. "Veronica Romero and Emily Feldman just got in and had some really good chances as well."
The Eagles have tied with the University of Chicago for third in the conference with 12 points while Carnegie Mellon finished second in the UAA with a 4-1-2 record and 14 points, and an 11-1-4 mark overall.
The Eagles are content with how they have performed in their last few games, and feel prepared for post-season play.
"We started off really well and then we started faltering and tying games," Peterson said. "We've started playing better, and this is a good end to the season and to the beginning of the NCAA tournament."
The team begins post-season play Saturday against Depauw University.
– By Tanvi Lal
