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Nov. 6, 2009

Box Score

HAMILTON, N.Y. - The Navy women's soccer team's 2009 season came to a disappointing end with a 1-0 overtime loss to top-seed and tournament host Colgate (10-6-3) in the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament on Friday evening from a cold and muddy Van Doren Field.

It was a defensive struggle played between the boxes from the onset, with neither team generating very many scoring chances. But after a scoreless first 90 minutes, the Raiders prevailed on a fluke goal when freshman Elise Amioka's errant cross found its way into the back of the net just six minutes and 20 seconds into overtime.

Amioka served a ball from 30 yards out on the left flank that evaded sophomore teammate Danielle Wessler, and initially appeared harmless, but wound up trickling into the net after a rare defensive miscommunication on Navy's back line.

"It's heartbreaking for our kids, especially our seniors, to lose that way," said Navy head coach Carin Gabarra. "Just one mistake and it cost us the game. It really shows what a fine line there is between winning and losing sometimes. I thought it was a very evenly-fought match, but the bottom line is we didn't do well enough to get the result."

Although the Raiders had a 14-8 shot advantage at the end of a scoreless regulation, the best look of the evening came on a Brittany White (Carmel, Ind.) attempt at the 80:29 mark. White received the ball on the edge of the six-yard box, but her shot was pushed out of play by Colgate keeper and 2009 Patriot League Rookie of the Year Ashley Walsh.

Walsh finished with five saves to her credit, while Navy team captain Beth Reed (Indianapolis, Ind.) came up with six stops. Colgate drew four corners to the Mids' three.

Colgate, which outshot Navy 15-9 on the evening, now advances to face the winner of Friday evening's second semifinal between American and Bucknell for the championship on November 8.

The result allowed Colgate to exact some revenge on a Midshipmen team that had been unbeaten in its last six matches (5-0-1) against the Raiders, including a 1-0 overtime victory in the 2008 league semifinals.

It was the third-consecutive match between Navy and Colgate to go to overtime and the second time this season the two sides played a scoreless 90 minutes. On Oct. 2 in Annapolis, the Mids and Raiders played to a scoreless draw.

It was also the fourth-consecutive Patriot League Women's Soccer Tournament match to go to overtime. The 2008 Patriot League Tournament saw all three contests head to over time for the first time in conference history.

The result concluded another solid campaign for Gabarra's squad, which posted double-digit victories for the 15th-consecutive season. The Midshipmen have won at least 14 games in each of the last four seasons, while producing a win percentage of .766.

The disappointing finish also brought to an end the decorated careers of Navy's four seniors - Reed, White, Jen Grijalva (Pleasanton, Calif.) and Shelly Moeller (Milford, Ohio) - who will go in the books as the winningest class in program history. The foursome won a record 64 games, captured two Patriot League Tournament titles and two regular-season crowns.

"This group has set a standard that might never be touched," said Gabarra. "You can't replace them, you just have try to find a different way to win."

Match Notes:

* Moeller earned the start and played in her school-record 90th career match for the Mids. She surpasses Carey Young ('09) as Navy's career games-played leader. Moeller's streak of 90 consecutive starts is the longest in the 20-year history of Patriot League soccer (men's and women's).

## GO NAVY! ##