Senior Day Women’s Soccer

By Zachary Lerman

On Nov. 5, the Lewis & Clark women’s soccer team played against Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) at Griswold in the final game of the 2017 season. Going into the match, the Pios were on a seven-game losing streak with their last win coming against Beloit College on Sept. 3. Their overall record before the last match was 3-14-2 with a 2-12-1 record in the Northwestern Conference. In the final game of the season, the team honored senior defenders Kori Swanson ’18 and Tasha Addington-Ferris ’18.

The game between PLU and LC ended 0-0 in double overtime. The first half was dominated by LC, who had two notable scoring chances in the 22nd and 23rd minutes respectively. In the second half, PLU had three notable chances in the opening five minutes. LC’s most notable try-on-goal of the second half came from Anna Saucedo ’20, who hit a shot off the post in the 72nd minute. In the first overtime period, LC goalkeeper Hannah Osmundson ’20 stopped a penalty kick with seconds remaining to lead LC to a 0-0 draw in the last game of the season. With this draw the Pioneers finish the season with a  2-12-2 record in the Northwestern Conference and a 3-14-3 record overall.

“We did a lot of things well in the game,” Swanson said. “We really started to move the ball and played with a lot of fight. PLU is a really good team and for us to play so well and really get on the attack for a lot of the game made it so fun.”

“In the last match the team came out with a different attitude, we were playing the best team in the region and there really was no pressure on us,” defender Paige Barta ’20 said. “We had nothing to lose. The motivation and effort that was brought to the field was higher from our past games. I thought the team did an especially good job of getting back on defense and slowing the pace of the play when we had possession to allow other players to move off the ball and get open.”

“It was definitely beating Whitman in over time,” Addington-Ferris said of her favorite moment of the season. “We didn’t win that many games this season and there’s just something so special about beating a team in over time and having the whole team just run onto the field and celebrate together.”

“I think my fondest memory would be this game,” Swanson said. “Last year’s senior game being a close second but these games are so much fun. You are playing for so much more than yourself or your coaches, and you want it so bad. It’s nice to come out with such a great result and end on a high note. Looking back on my four years I’m lucky to have had a lot of fun and have had a lot of really great teammates, I really couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

As Swanson and Addington-Ferris conclude their careers at LC, the women’s team, under the leadership of Coach Jim Tursi, will look to improve next season with a young squad led by Northwestern Conference second team defender Alexa Hanson ’20.