by Heather Monahan
Assistant Features Editor
Last weekend, the women’s soccer team (6-10-1) lost to Dayton (12-4) on Friday before defeating Xavier (6-10) Sunday in double overtime, 2-1. The Bonnies host UMass this afternoon at 3 and Rhode Island Sunday at 1 p.m. in their last games of the regular season.
“UMass is only one point ahead of us and Rhode Island has the same amount of points as us,” head coach Manoj Khettry said. “Any one of us could find ourselves in a position to qualify for the Atlantic 10 Tournament, so I think the games are going to be unbelievably competitive, very stressful, high pressure, high tension affairs.”
Sophomore forward Molly Curry said the team is ready for this weekend’s games.
“You can expect us to come out full force this weekend,” Curry said. “Both games are must wins or else our season is over. No one wants to end the season and we want to keep winning, especially for our seniors who have done so much for the program.”
Khettry said he expects the games to end with very close scores.
“I would be surprised if they’re not one goal games,” Khettry said. “Certainly, I would love to win by more than a goal but they’re going to be really difficult games.”
Due to their reliance on the outcome of the final two games, Khettry said the team is going in with a playoff mindset.
“I think the way we’re approaching it is, this is already the start of the tournament and if you lose, you’re eliminated,” Khettry said.
Freshman goalkeeper Christina Sarokon said going into games like these, the team focuses on themselves before the game rather than their opponents.
“We’re confident in our abilities and we are ready, mentally and physically,” Sarokon said. “We don’t think about our opponents, we think about what we have to do to win.”
Khettry said that’s what the team has been working on this week to prepare for their two weekend games.
“We’re working on the quality of our services and crosses into the box and just continuing to do what we do, which is set pieces,” Khettry said.
Curry agreed and said this works well for the team.
“We know we’re capable of beating anyone as long as we play together and don’t let the other team affect our style,” Curry said.
Coming off a win against Xavier, Khettry said the team’s confidence is in a good place.
“I think it has to be very good,” Khettry said. “If you’re going into the last weekend and still have a chance to play in the A-10 tournament, confidence has to be pretty good.”
Curry said the team’s excitement is at an all-time high after this weekend.
“We’re so excited that we have the opportunity to make it back to the tournament for the fifth consecutive year,” Curry said. “We know we have to go out and play for each other in order to reach our goal.”
Assistant coach Morey Kephart said she feels the excitement as well.
“I get very excited in the fact that we have the ability to go to the A-10 tournament,” Kephart said. “The ball is in our court, and it’s a great feeling to have. I almost feel like I’m back playing again, the excitement is that big.”
Sarokon said that she and the rest of the freshmen on the team are excited for both themselves and for their older teammates.
“We (the freshmen) are extremely excited to be possibly going to our first A-10 tournament,” Sarokon said. “We all want to get the wins this weekend, not only for our own experience, but also to send the seniors to their fifth A-10 tournament in a row. We all owe it to them and they deserve another tournament.”
The team’s excitement, Sarokon said, began on Sunday when Curry scored against Xavier in double overtime, securing the victory for the team, and giving them enough points to keep their A-10 dreams alive.
“The team was absolutely ecstatic after the win over Xavier,” Sarokon said. “We absolutely needed that win and we all ran onto the field after Molly Curry scored the goal in overtime to end the game.”
Curry said scoring the winning goal was great, but not because she was the one who scored.
“Getting the game winning goal was amazing,” Curry said. “It wasn’t even that I scored, but it meant that we were one step closer to making it back to the A-10’s. I was just happy I could pull through for my team.”
Khettry said he was impressed by three things this weekend.
“One, they didn’t give up,” he said. “Number two, they stuck to how we’re going to play. The third thing is, I felt like they were really united as a group and they lifted each other and stayed united as a group. I think that’s what you need in tough situations.”
