The women’s soccer team returned to EdithRobb Dixon Field to play against the New York University Violets. The Cavaliers suffered a 3-0 defeat to the Violets. The non-conference loss drops the Cavaliers to 2-5-1 for this season.
The Violet’s grabbed an early lead as Olivia Braender-Carr, sophomore, netted a goal in the seventh minute.
Despite being outshot 12-3 in the opening 45 minutes and not earning a corner kick, the Cavaliers’ defense was solid. The ladies trailed by a single goal at the halftime break.
Lisette Hrapmann led the Cavaliers with two of its five shots of the night, while Meghan Martin, Allie Vallen and Taylor Tralie each added one shot.“Our season has been difficult because of so many injuries to k
ey players. Since day one we haven’t had our full roster healthy,” Ken Prothero, head coach for the women’s soccer team, said. “ We always try to schedule very competitive opponents before we hit our conference matches. A lot of our players have logged a lot of minutes and a few are adjusting well to new positions. I think the team has gotten better every week and we are excited about the rest of our games against CSAC teams.”
Despite the loss, Cabrini’s defense remained solid, which was led by sophomore goaltender Alivia Dietsch. The sophomore recorded a career high 11 saves, including seven in a second half that saw New York University tally 17 shots and six of its 11 corner kicks.
“NYU is one of the best teams in the region and we played very well for the majority of the game with one of our strongest players on the bench,” Prothero said. “If we continue to play with the intensity and speed we did against NYU the rest of the way, we will be tough to beat.”
The Cavaliers have had a rough start to their season but they are positive that they can make it past the hardships and into the Colonial States Athletic Conference. The players and the coach all agree that the goal for this season is to earn one of the six spots in the playoffs and to compete for their fifth straight championship.
“Our team is very close and we have a lot of chemistry on and off the field,” Dana Peterson, senior forward, said. “When we are playing we know where each other will be on the field and we know that we have each other’s backs when we mess up.”
“In order to prepare for our games Ken creates a practice plan based on our weaknesses,” Dana Peterson, senior forward, said. “We rarely focus on who we are playing, more so on what we can improve on.”
Most sports teams have some sort of ritual that they do before games.
“We have a lot of rituals that we do before every game. We have a set of songs that we always listen to,” Peterson said. “We also do something where everyone writes something on their wrist before the game that can motivate them to work hard. Our team also likes to take a game day picture before each game for good memories.”
