The Raiders women’s soccer season came to a close this weekend. After their big win in the Patriot League quarterfinals over the Bucknell Bison at home, the Raiders traveled to Annapolis, MD to take on the Boston University Terriers in the semifinals. After a hard-fought battle for 110 minutes, the Raiders fell in penalty kicks, ending their season.

To get to the semifinals, the Raiders first had to defeat a tough Bucknell team. Earning the third seed in the tournament, the Raiders were fortunate enough to have a home game in the first round, but not fortunate enough to earn a bye. Drawing the Bison, the Raiders got off to a hot start as sophomore Jenna Panepinto took the ball down the right wing and forced the Bison goalie to make a tough save.

With just 27 minutes remaining in the first half, junior Emily Manoogian earned a free kick and sent the ball in the box, where first-year Emily Pullen had an opportunity but couldn’t get her foot on the ball. Just a few minutes later, Manoogian sent a corner kick into the box, where Panepinto failed to get the one-timer on target; her shot sailed just over the crossbar and kept the game scoreless.

Early second half, Manoogian continued her strong play on the day finding senior midfielder Kelsey Hough, who crossed the ball into the box where junior defender Chelsea Roche failed to head the ball into the net. The Bison responded with

opportunities at the end of the half, but the Raiders defense held strong and sent the game into overtime. Both teams had opportunities to put the game away in overtime, but neither could find the back of the net.

As the teams headed to penalty kicks, the Raiders sent out a lineup that included Manoogian, Roche and Panepinto who all had strong opportunities in regulation. Also included in the lineup was sophomore forward Catherine Williams and sophomore midfielder Lexi Panepinto. Each of the Raiders converted their penalty kick and when the Bison hit the crossbar with their third shot, the Raiders held a leg up and took the victory.

The Raiders earned the opportunity to travel to Annapolis where the top-seeded Navy Midshipmen were hosting the tournament’s semifinals and finals. Facing off against the nationally-ranked Boston University Terriers, the Raiders battled once again in a scoreless regulation and headed for overtime. First-year goalie Breanna Mason was spectacular in net making 10 saves and keeping the Raiders in the game. Despite the Terriers getting 13 corner kicks on the day, the Raiders defense held strong and did not allow any goals for the second straight game.

Notably on defense, Roche came up with a big block in the first 10 minutes of play. Shortly after, Mason was forced to make a diving save that kept the ball out of the net and forced a corner kick. The Raiders got their first chance with just 20 minutes remaining in the half when Manoogian tried squeezing the ball through a narrow hole to Panepinto. The Terriers defense, however, stood strong and kept the ball out of the box. Five minutes later, junior midfielder Caroline Brawner one-touched the ball off a throw in to Williams. Williams took the ball and shot on net, but the Terriers defense blocked the ball out of bounds ending the Raiders attack. Early second half, the Raiders got an opportunity when sophomore forward Taryn Tomczyk sent a ball that caught Williams in the head, who narrowly deflected the ball to the side of the net.

In the final minutes, the Raiders fought off a furious Terriers attack with Mason taking two big saves to keep the game scoreless. After a similar overtime, the Raiders went to penalty kicks and lost their legs after playing two straight energy-depriving games. The Raiders converted on only one of their penalty kicks while the Terriers converted all four for the victory.The Raiders finished the season strong and despite their loss, both Mason and Jenna Panepinto were named to the All-Tournament team. Additionally, Brawner was named to the All-League first team for her strong season as captain.

Contact Eric Reimund at [email protected].