September 18, 2014
Less than two weeks after the beginning of the soccer season, the Hamilton women’s soccer team has already competed in four matches. Starting off with a game against Trinity on Sept. 6 and playing its latest match against Rensselaer on the 14th, the squad has endured an exhausting four-games-in-nine-days stretch.
Despite the adverse schedule, the Continentals have done their part brilliantly by winning all but one of the games so far and accumulating nine points in the process. The team may still be in the early stages of the season, but its results thus far look more than promising and portend a potentially thrilling and successful year after the team unexpectedly missed the NESCAC postseason in 2013.
In what was a morning filled with strong winds and rain, the women showed character. In their season-opener against Trinity on Sept. 6, the Continentals battled back from an early deficit. After falling behind in the 19th minute, the Continentals lost no time in responding and within two minutes of conceding, equalized the score with Halle Becker ’15 knocking in the goal.
A debut goal for Katie Kreider ’18 gave the Continentals a comfortable lead. Emily Foley ’16 also got her name up on the score board as well just minutes away from the break. Trinity’s Elisa Dolan ’15 added a late goal to narrow the gap, but Hamilton held on for a 3-2 victory.
It was visible in the opener that the new members of the team were beginning to settle in, and that was on display when they played the SUNY Institute of Technology Wildcats. The women rolled over their opponents on the heels of their first conference victory.
In a completely one-sided match-up, the Continentals put seven goals past the Wildcats’ keeper for a 7-0 romp, their largest margin of victory since an 8-0 win over the same team in 2008. There were some great displays from the first-years in the team as Kreider and Kate Whiston ’18 both got on the score sheet. Amanda Becker ’18 also recorded a pair of assists in the game. Goals from Rachel Hirsch ’15 and K.C. Kelly ’17 made for the other tallies in this fixture dominated by the Continentals.
On Sept. 13, however, after the first half of the game against Bates, the scoreboard read 0–0. Kreider had a shot which ricocheted off the crossbar to nearly give Hamilton a lead, the closest either team came to scoring. Early in the second half, the hosts opened up the scoring and sustained their lead until the 81st minute, when the Continentals tied the game off a goal from Becker. Alex Millstrom ’15, however, struck home the winner for Bates with just 34 seconds left on the clock, handing Hamilton its first loss of the season.
In its third consecutive away game, the team faced Renssealer, and again, it was a tough game to call. Victoria Freeman ’16 attempted a shot that deflected off the crossbar in the most intriguing moment of the first half, which ended goalless. The second half saw the hosts pick up the lead only to lose it five minutes later as Kreider tied the game, with Becker assisting the goal with her first helper of the season.
Late drama was in store yet again, but this time Whiston landed the winner with just three minutes left in the contest. The late victory extended Hamilton’s winning streak over non-conference opponents to 10 consecutive matches.
As a whole throughout these initial four games, the Continentals have looked like a clear playoff-caliber team. Kreider, Whiston and Amanda Becker have settled in smoothly and the keepers are sharp. Winning all but one of their games so far is more than encouraging and creates anticipation for how high this team’s ceiling may reach.
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