Scott Cinatl
Review staff writer
The women’s soccer team lost to the University of Puget Sound on Nov. 2, leaving it with an overall record of 3-11 in the Northwest Conference.
The last game of the season is Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. at Pacific Lutheran University.
The team faced off against the Loggers, which are ranked sixth in a Top 25 poll by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, and they are undefeated in the NWC, with a perfect 14-0 record.
At the beginning of the game, the ’Cats were off to a good start with an offensive attack by senior midfielder Amber Calcagno and sophomore defender Rennika Doty.
Calcagno headed the ball passed by Doty and nearly scored, but it was stopped by the efforts of UPS senior defender Nikki Graff.
Freshman defender Catherine Means of Puget Sound scored the first and only goal of the game on an 18-yard strike into the upper corner of the net. The Loggers had another attack on the goal later in the first half with an attempt by senior forward Janece Levien, but it was saved by Linfield sophomore goalkeeper Kelsey Hasselblad.
In the second half, the ’Cats tried to tie the game. They had a missed opportunity by senior midfielder Kate Franklin with a loose ball on the left side of the box.
The Loggers were on the pursuit for another goal in the 68th minute and hit the crossbar from a kick by freshman midfielder Abby Gross, though freshman midfielder Maya Heck also overshot the goal on the rebound on the same play.
Near the end of the game, UPS had one last attempt on the goal, but it was blocked by Hasselblad, who dived to deflect the ball wide of the goal.
UPS outshot Linfield 18-5, and Hasselblad earned five saves for Linfield.
Despite a rough and tumble season, the future for the women’s soccer team hinges on its young roster.
“I think the future of the Linfield women’s soccer team looks bright,” Doty said. “We have a young team and we are
losing a lot of key players this year, but we have a talented group returning. This year has been a great learning experience and has put the returners in a great position to be a very competitive team next year.”