By Andrew Chirico
Business Manager
The Shorewomen improved their record to 3-1 for the first time since 2009, with five goals in two games. Washington College went on to shut out both University of Mary Washington 1-0 and Marymount (Va.) 4-0 to cap off a successful weekend at the UMW Classic.
The first game of the weekend looked as if it would go into overtime until senior Steph Scott scored the winning goal on a penalty kick in the 87th minute versus Mary Washington. Before the goal, Scott had a brief recollection of a similar situation last season.
“My thoughts after the penalty kick was called were ‘are we doing the same thing as last year?” Scott said. “But when Coach [Tom] Reilly on the sideline asked if I wanted it, I felt completely at ease taking the kick.”
As the ball went off of Scott’s foot, she had a moment of hesitation regarding the shot direction.
“I doubted myself there for a second after I hit the ball,” she said. “Usually my shots are lower, but I guess I’m a bit out of practice.”
Reilly, in his first year coaching at WC, was proud of the team’s performance in the opening round of the tournament.
“We played smart, and the girls executed our game plan to a T. We defended with great heart and broke out on counter attacks to threaten their backline,” he said. “UMW is a talented attacking team that has been scoring goals so for us to come here and shut them out was a wonderful achievement.”
When reflecting on the penalty kick, Reilly explained how freshman Emily Caldarelli was pushed from behind, leading to Scott’s opportunity to seal the deal.
“Steph Scott hit an unstoppable PK into the upper left corner, cool as ice,” he said. “We couldn’t be more proud of our girls for the effort they put in today. We try to take lessons from each game, and this one is no different.”
To celebrate the team went to Olive Garden after the game.
“When we win… we eat,” Reilly said.
The team brought that mentality to their game versus Marymount on Sunday, scoring within the game’s first seven minutes as junior Olivia Sabatino found the back of the net off of a pass from Caldarelli. Caldarelli’s willingness to share the ball brought her good fortune when she scored an unassisted goal within just 89 seconds of Sabatino’s goal.
With the 2-0 lead, the Shorewomen would go on to extend their lead from Sabatino’s twin, Arianna Sabatino, who scored off another assist from Caldarelli. To cap the weekend off, junior Lindsay Russell converted a goal off a corner kick assist from Olivia Sabatino.
The 4-0 win was highlighted by stellar performance from the defense, which allowed Marymount a total of just three shots, with none of them on the goal. The Shorewomen had 11 total shots, with seven of them being on the goal.
Senior Maribeth Harrington believes the team has gelled together well with their new coach.
“Our overall team atmosphere has felt like a family, which is what we all have been looking for as a team,” Harrington said. “We have an amazing group of girls and an amazing support system which directly correlates to our confidence and overall energy. I’m so proud to be a part of the WC women’s soccer team.”
Reilly recognized how well the team performed while adjusting to different styles of play.
“The two opponents were completely different in styles so it was great that our girls were able to adapt each day and be successful,” he said. “Today we didn’t start well overall but managed to score on our first three shots. We were pretty comfortable after that and saw the game out without too much fuss.”
The Shorewomen host Gettysburg College on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 4 p.m. for their Centennial Conference openeer.