The season for the Plattsburgh State women’s soccer season was filled with success and overcoming challenging moments.
The fourth-seeded Cardinals began their postseason play by defeating fifth-seeded Oswego State in shutout at home 2-0 last weekend, which ticketed them an appearance for a semifinal matchup against top-seed Buffalo State. However, the Cards ended up losing on the road 2-0, which put an end to PSUC’s journey to a SUNYAC championship.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result we wanted with Buffalo State,” freshman midfielder Rachael Moran said. “I am going to miss all of the seniors next year, but I am excited to see what the next three years of soccer have to offer as well.”
After finishing the season with an overall record of 11-9 (5-4 against conference opponents), the Cards can take a lot from this season and use it to improve upon in next year’s go-around.
“Any opponent in the SUNYACs can be successful,” head coach Tania Armellino said. “For the younger girls on the team, they’re learning a lot over time. Over the course of season, everyone has grown a lot and gotten better as well, which is exciting to see.”
This year’s seniors played a large role in guiding this team to success, which reflected a lot in their teammates, especially the new players on the team.
“What I was so proud of is how nothing seems to overwhelm them,” Armellino said about the seniors in regards to times when they would be under pressure. “A lot of them had a hand in the win against Oswego. They have really shown the team that they’re ready to play and ready to win, and brought that to the field each and every day.”
One senior in particular that has beeen an important presence to her teammates is midfielder Ashlie Guinness.
“We played defensive mid together this season and worked really well with one another,” Moran said. “I wish we had more than one season to play together, but she will be someone I’ll always look up to.”
Moran was able to find her spot on the field as a newcomer, as she totaled 1240 minutes played in her rookie season for the Cards.
”She’s been fantastic. She’s been able to take on a big role as a freshman in the center of the pitch,” Armellino said about Moran. “Over the season, Rachael has grown a lot which is really exciting to see.”
A strong suit for PSUC this season was its play at home, accumulating nine wins and only one loss in front of their fans. On the other hand, the Cards want to improve on their 2-8 road record for next season.
“You have to learn the hard way what it takes to be successful on the road,” Armellino said. “Nothing beats your crowd, and there is an absolute advantage to playing on your home turf which is why we did so well this season at home.”
It has been another season the Cards can look back on and learn from and improve next season. For those who experienced their first bit of SUNYAC playoff action this season will know what it takes next year in order to get further along in the tournament.
“Playing in my first SUNYAC tournament was very exciting, I didn’t really know what to expect,” Moran said. “I learned that really anything can happen in the SUNYACs.”
Email Ezra Kachaturian at sports@cardinalpointsonline.com
