Lady Panthers Fall in Last Regular Season Match: Post Season Looms

Plymouth, N.H. – Plymouth’s ladies soccer team lost its seventh consecutive game 2-1, this past Saturday to Rhode Island College Anchorwomen, as the panthers head into the first round of the Little East Conference tournament. The team is now 6-9-1 overall and 2-4-1 in the conference.What was intended to be a strong showing by Plymouth State turned out to be a disappointing loss for Panther coach Keith Scarlett who claimed that the ladies, “only played a forty-five minute game.” Implying that Plymouth’s first half was strong, but was lacking in the later forty-five. “You can’t play at this level at this time of the year, and expect things!” Scarlett explained. Scarlett tried to convey the importance of every minute of every game here on out as all the post-season looms and teams are only promised one playoff game. Nonetheless, there was still outstanding soccer played on an inclimate and rainy day. The first half was back and forth until Rhode Island College drew first blood with twenty-nine minutes left in the half with a hard shot by senior Elena Sanborn. After that the lady panthers picked up the pace and the rest of the half was theirs. There was a flurry of shots with twenty minutes left, and one convincing shot was actually blocked by an unaware RIC defender. The game did travel back to Plymouth’s half, but Hayley Quinones kept the game close with several good trappings of the ball off an RIC foot. The plays deep in the RIC territory by the Anchorwomen looked sloppy and who conceded many loose balls to attacking Panthers. A corner kick by freshmen Jamie Brown was one of the highlights of the entire game, as Plymouth and Rhode Island lined the net waiting for a header that would never come. Brown’s kick hooked around the near side goal post at the last possible second, and the banana kick put Plymouth on the board, 1-1. The panthers found themselves in the same situation late in the first half, and Brown’s kick found sophomore Kelsey MacDonald who headed just high of the goal.The second half, junior Beth McAloon came in as goalkeeper for Plymouth, and was immediately faced with a strong Rhode Island attack. Plymouth State had more headers than passes trying to keep the Anchorwomen out of their territory. The game flowed on into the second half with the Plymouth defense getting worked in every direction. After getting clipped in a contest for a header and taking a stray knee to the stomach, both times stopping the clock, Michaela Bileau of Rhode Island managed a perfect chip kick over the defensive line and goalkeepers grasped for the final goal of the game, leaving the score 2-1 in favor of Rhode Island College.The lady panthers go into the first round of the Little East Conference post season with a match away against Southern Maine on Tuesday November 2 at two o’clock. The Little East semifinals and Championship will be played on Friday 5, and Saturday 6 at Keene State College. The time has yet to be announced.