College soccer: Great season for Catawba women
From Catawba sports information
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Catawba women’s soccer first NCAA appearance in 10 years ended with a loss Saturday.
The Indians finished the campaign with a record of 13-6-0 after a 3-0 loss at McCown Field against No. 14 Carson-Newman, which improved to 15-4-0.
“That was a tough one,” Catawba head coach Nick Brown said. “I thought we played well in pockets but obviously it wasn’t enough. We understand why they were in the national championship last year.”
Despite the final tally, Catawba allowed just 12 shots by the Eagles, who average nearly 21 a contest. It equals the second fewest attempts this season. The Indians held them to the same number last Friday in the South Atlantic Conference semifinals.
The turning point of the match came in the 53rd minute, which negated momentum the Indians generated early in the final half. Leading 1-0, the Lady Eagles capitalized on a controversial foul call in the penalty area. Magda Mosengo increased her team’s advantage when she stepped to the spot and beat Catawba’s senior goal keeper Shelby Thompson.
Carson-Newman cracked the scoreboard on a near perfect shot from a sharp angle off the boot of Catarina Realista at 6:25 of the first half. She placed the ball over a diving Thompson and into the top right corner of the net. Kennedy Rankin added the final tally with 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
Of the six loses on the season, three came against Carson-Newman, with all three meetings coming in a two-week span. The experienc should pay off for the Indians moving forward. They look to continue to build on the process and keep improving.
“It is exciting and fun,” Brown said. “They are motivated and ready for it. I think if I said practice tomorrow – they would be like. ‘Let’s go.'”
One of the youngest teams in the South Atlantic Conference, the Indians lose two players from this year’s roster and will turn their attention toward spring ball in preparation for the program’s 30th season, which kicks off August 2019.
“I have never been a part of a team like this,” Thompson said. “There is a lot of love on this team.”
