Soccer drops final regular season game to Springfield

The soccer team dropped a 2-0 decision on Saturday to New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) powerhouse Springfield, the top team in the conference. 

For Wellesley, the game was very much a defensive battle. Springfield had 12 shots on goal, while Wellesley only had three.

The first half showcased Wellesley’s ability to hang with the toughest teams. The Blue kept the game scoreless, though they were unable to move the ball past midfield and pose a threat on offense.

“I was impressed with our ability to hold them off in the first half as they had some of the best strikers we have played this season,” midfielder Rianna Aylward ’16 said.

The team was less successful in the second half. Springfield sailed one shot high, just through the fingers of keeper Claire Cerda ’15, to score. A few minutes later, Springfield widened the margin with a second goal.

Wellesley’s best chance to score came in the second half, especially in the final minutes of the game. All three of Wellesley’s shots on goal came in the second half of play, including one from Juliette Fry ’16 with a minute to go.

“We were the underdog going into the match up but we came out and played hard. After the game we were disappointed with the score but happy with our overall performance,” Fry said.

“I thought the team put in a solid effort but we struggled to keep possession of the ball long enough, especially in the second half, to really test their defense and keeper,” Aylward said. “Unfortunately when you play against strong teams like Springfield they will capitalize on any mistakes you make, and we made two.”

The Springfield game marked the last home game of the year for the Blue. The team celebrated senior day in front of about 60 supporters. All five seniors—Jennifer Marble ’13, Gayron Berman ’13, Megan Turchi ’13, Kara Lungmus ’13 and Chelsea-Ann Patry ’13—saw playing time.

While there were many Springfield supporters at the game, Blue fans strove to drown out the cheers from the other side. 

The loss moved Wellesley to 7-10-1 on the season, 4-5 in conference play. Though the Blue were not able to move above .500, it was a strong rebuilding year for the team. It will be tough for Wellesley to lose five seniors to graduation, but the Blue has a solid base of younger players like Aylward, Fry, Abigail Hess ’16 and Abby Aldridge ’16, who can fill the void. They also have Cerda in goal for two more years.

“The season as a whole has been a great experience. We’ve grown as a team and as individual players. Although we haven’t gotten the results we might have liked we have stayed strong and kept improving,” Fry said.

Despite the loss to Springfield, Wellesley earned the sixth seed in the NEWMAC tournament. They are due to face Wheaton today at 2:30 p.m.