No. 11 Women’s Soccer Ties Navy, Falls 5-4 in Penalty Kicks

Tribe Finishes Season at 16-1-4

11/10/06 11:00PM

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - In the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2003, the 11th ranked Tribe women’s soccer team tied the Naval Academy 0-0 after 110 minutes of action, and advanced to penalty kicks for the second consecutive match. Unfortunately, William and Mary failed to advance, falling in penalty kicks 5-4. With the tie, W&M’s school-record unbeaten streak extended to 17 games, and the team improved its season ledger to 16-1-4. The Naval Academy picked up its first tie of the year, moving to 21-1-1.

The first half was fairly even, with each team creating several chances that either went inches wide or were pulled in by the keepers. Junior Donna Mataya (Edmonton, Alberta) opened the action with a shot from just beyond the top of the box that pulled wide left, and sophomore Claire Zimmeck (Fairfax, Va.) ripped one from close to the same almost ten minutes later, with her offering being caught by the Navy goalie. Senior Katie Hogwood (Reston, Va.) almost put the Tribe ahead in the 17th minute with a high-arcing shot from the deep left corner of the Navy zone, but the keeper was able to turn the attempt away with a save in the upper left corner of the net.

Tribe goalie Meghan Walker (Wallingford, Pa.) moved into the action with a tough stop in the 30th minute, corralling a Navy shot from 30 yards out. Dani Collins (Cream Ridge, N.J.) posted the Tribe’s last two shots, and was the only offense spark from either side in the final ten minutes of the half. In the 36th, she took service near the top of the box and flicked it behind her towards an empty goal, but a Navy defender came up with a big defensive save just two yards out. Then, with fifteen seconds left, Collins launched a rocket from outside the box that was punched away.

The second half opened much the same way, with most of the action happening in the middle of the field. Zimmeck picked up her second shot of the contest when she split defenders in the middle of the field and pushed her attempt just wide to the left in the 49th minute. Walker made a couple big plays two minutes later, coming off her line and blocking two challenges in the space of ten seconds, forcing the Mids to attempt a corner which was cleared out by Hogwood. Zimmeck forced the action once again, as the Navy goal-keep made a diving save in the lower-left corner.

Collins pulled her third shot of the evening wide right in the 58th minute, just before Abby Lauer (Oak Hill, Va.) made a crucial defensive save on a deep run in the William and Mary box, kicking the ball off a Navy attacker and winning a goal kick. William and Mary went right back on a fast break the other way, with Mataya’s cross moving just slightly too fast for Hogwood to control.

After close to fifteen minutes of back-and-forth struggle in the midfield, Navy broke away in the 70th with a deep run to the right side of the box, an attack that sophomore Meredith Brown (Norfolk, Va.) frustrated with an outstanding display of man-to-man defense. After another Navy attempt was deflected over the end-line for a corner kick, Walker came up with a big punching-clear, sending the Tribe on a fast-break into the Navy zone, where Emily Kittleson’s (Virginia Beach, Va.) shot from the top of the box was scooped up by Navy.

With one minute to play, Walker pulled a long free kick out of the air, and for the third time in the evening, sent the Tribe on a fast break the other way, where Tiffany Chudoba (Clifton, Va.) won a corner kick from the Midshipmen defense. Off the corner, Collins headed a shot towards the upper-left corner, which was knocked away for another corner as regulation time expired.

In the first overtime, William and Mary had a chance on a long free kick from just on the Navy half of the field, but the Mid’s goalie made another solid stop and cradled the ball on the five-yard line. Seven minutes in, Walker made her fourth stop of the night on a shot from just outside the box, and made her fifth with just over a minute remaining. On the resulting attack, Lauer’s free kick from below the half-field circle was headed on goal by Collins, and knocked wide by a Navy defender.

The second overtime was much of the same, with William and Mary’s best attempt coming on a Zimmeck attack when she battled the ball away from the goalie in the Navy box, but had the ball stolen away by another defender. Navy’s attack the other way resulted in a corner kick, and the conversion attempt sailed high over the goal. Walker finished the statistical counting period with five saves, and moved her season goals-against average to 0.68.

In the penalty kicks, Collins, Mataya, and Lauer kept the Tribe even with the Midshipmen, finding the net in roughly the same location, middle of the goal and in the upper half. After Walker turned away the fourth attempt from Navy, Laura Rochford (Knoxville, Tenn.) put the Tribe ahead by one with a strike to the lower-left corner. When Navy’s fifth shooter found the net also, Zimmeck had a chance to put the match away, but had her shot deflected over the bar. Navy’s sixth shot buried in the back of the net, and freshman Kendall Stone’s (Falls Church, Va.) shot looked to find the promised land as well before Navy’s keeper made a tough diving save.

Despite failing to advance, William and Mary had an outstanding season, winning 16 games in the regular season and finishing with only one loss, by far the fewest losses in a single season in school history. The team’s 10-0-1 record in Colonial Athletic Association play was its fifth undefeated conference season, and set the school record for CAA wins in a season.

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