By Justin Rushia
With an opportunity to face two of the top-25 ranked teams in the country, the Plattsburgh State women’s soccer team fell short of its goal of making a name for itself early on the national stage after losing both games.
“The goal of making the NCAA tournament hasn’t changed,” head coach Whitney Frary said. “There’s two ways for us to get into the tournament. I think the main one for us now is to win the SUNYAC.”
The Cardinals kicked off their regular season Aug. 30 with the Stand on Their Shoulders Invitational in Geneva, New York. Plattsburgh’s first task: a match against William Smith College, the 20th-ranked team in the nation. Just 78 seconds into its season, Plattsburgh conceded its first goal.
The new-look Cardinals have only two returning players who were consistent starters from last season: goalkeeper Lauren Haley and defender Casey Granger. With so many spots needing to be replaced on the field, competition for a starting spot is at an all-time high.
“We’re just trying to find the other pieces and who works well together, especially in the formation we’re playing in,” Frary said. “It’s all about combinations and cohesion.”
Plattsburgh struggled to find its footing on both ends of the pitch in the first half, allowing 11 shots on net while managing only one for itself. Eight of the 11 William Smith shots were on net compared to just one for Plattsburgh, and three of those William Smith shots found their way past Haley and into the back of the net.
“As a goalkeeper, you have to have a short-term memory and focus on the next play,” Haley said.
The second half was the same sorry, with the Cardinals being outmatched on both ends of the pitch.
Plattsburgh conceded four more goals while being shut out, losing its first match of the season 0-8. Plattsburgh shot less times then William Smith scored, with a final shot differential of 5-24.
“William Smith played faster and had better touches throughout the game,” Plattsburgh defender Granger wrote in a text.
The Cardinals shifted their focus to the second game of the Invitational, a matchup against the 24th-ranked team in the nation, The College of New Jersey. Plattsburgh had another chance to prove itself against a powerful opponent.
The Cardinals started stronger in the second game of the season and were better suited to the fast pace of play typical of high-ranked teams. One minute into the match, Plattsburgh earned a corner kick and recorded the first shot of the game.
It didn’t take long before TCNJ took control of the game, breaching the Plattsburgh backline to bag the first goal of the game eight minutes in.
TCNJ continued to exert offensive pressure on the Cardinals, earning a penalty kick that found its way past Haley, giving TCNJ a two-goal advantage.
Both teams battled back-and-forth for the next 10 minutes of the game, making multiple substitutions and experimenting with line-ups. That was until junior midfielder Hannah Myers opened the scoring for the Cardinals, finding the back of the net for the first time of the season.
Plattsburgh was on the backfoot heading into halftime. It allowed 12 shots on goal compared to three of their own. Haley did everything she could to keep the Cardinals in the game, making save after save to give Plattsburgh a fighting chance.
The second half did not go in the Cardinal’s favor, allowing three more goals while tallying zero shots on net. Haley finished the game with 12 saves.
“The goal to make the tournament is still the same,” Granger said.
Plattsburgh had to reroute its focus to Wednesday for its next challenge: the Vermont-State Castleton Spartans.
Historically, the Cardinals have had the upper hand against the Spartans, having a record of 31-2-1. This game followed the history books and resulted in a 1-0 Plattsburgh win.
“In practice on Monday after the games, at first, we had to relearn why we play the game,” Haley said. “It’s a privilege to play, and you just gotta have fun with it.”
The match was defined by good defending and physical back-and-forth play throughout. Both teams committed a foul before they managed a shot on net.
The first half ended with both teams taking four shots apiece, none of which found the back of the net.
“You can’t teach grit,” Haley said.
In the second half, Plattsburgh and Castleton continued their gritty, defensive style of play.
The Cardinals fired two shots within the first three minutes of the half.
Twenty minutes into the second half, the Cardinals got on the board with a goal from junior midfielder Claire Bottjer, who was assisted by Junior Midfielder Jillian Bezio.
“It was such a sense of relief,” Frary said. “I think everybody was like, ‘Oh, yeah, we got this.’”
Plattsburgh prevented the Spartans from equalizing, giving the Cardinals their first win of the season.
The Cardinals next opportunity to earn their first win of the season will come against RIT, Saturday, Sept. 14.
“I think a lot of teams are underestimating us because we lost such a large class,” Frary said. “Every team needs to form and create themselves, and I think that’s what we’re doing right now.”
