NEWTON, Mass. - The Marist Women's Soccer ended the most successful season in program history with a defeat versus Boston College in the First Round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Facing off with the #21 Eagles, the Red Foxes fell by a score of 6-1. Senior Kathryn Hannis (Bloomsbury, N.J.) netted her second goal of the season when she got Marist on the board in the 49th minute.
On a beautiful, Fall day at Boston College's Newton Soccer Complex, the Red Foxes came in with the knowledge that they would be facing a team that was just one year removed from a Final Four tournament run. Realizing the disadvantages that they had on paper, the team came out and made a concerted effort to control all of the variables that they could.
Over the first 20 plus minutes of play, the Red Foxes withstood the Eagles' pressure and saw the game continue at 0-0. Boston College finally broke through with a pair of goals in the 22nd and 25th minutes as Victoria DiMartino and Kristen Mewis scored for the Eagles.
Boston College extended the lead to 3-0 before the end of the half as Gibby Wagner netted a goal.
At the half, the Eagles held a 13-1 advantage in shots. Junior goalkeeper Caitlin Landsman (Burke, Va.) made three saves for Marist.
Coming out of the break, the Red Foxes came out re-energized and re-focused. As a result, the game had a much different feel as the team started manufacturing more sustained possessions that would drive into Boston College's defensive zone. With this renewed pressure, Marist broke through 3:14 into the second half as sophomore Samantha Panzner (Livingston, N.J.) lofted a high cross from the right wing that found Hannis in mid-air. The senior captain controlled the ball and snapped off a quick header over the outstretched arms of the new Boston College goalkeeper Jessica Mickelson to bring the score within two at 3-1.
Known for their ability to make opponents uneasy with quick scores, Hannis' goal was the 10th of the season that the Red Foxes had scored within the first 6:31 of a half. Also of note, Panzner's helper was the seventh of her young career, a mark that places her into a tie for 10th place all-time.
Marist continued controlling possession over the next 15 minutes, as strong defending and quick, smart passing allowed the team to challenge the Eagles' in their defensive zone.
In a span of 8:20 play between 58:12 and 66:32, Boston College re-found the style of play that helped them score three goals in the first half. During that period, the Eagles notched three goals to extend the lead to 6-1.
Marist had three strong scoring chances later in the game as Hannis pushed a header attempt wide in the 73rd minute and senior Mariah Downey (Cheshire, Conn.) rocketed a shot from 25 yards that missed hitting the crossbar by less than a foot. Downey earned the offensive opportunity after she muscled a Boston College defender off the ball near midfield. The third attempt was a header from Panzner, who received a ball in the box following a Jamie Strumwasser (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) throw-in in the 80th minute.
After 90 minutes of play, the game went final with a score of 6-1 in favor of Boston College.
For the game, the Eagles held an 18-6 lead in shots, 9-2 in shots on goal and 7-0 on corner kicks.
Boston College now moves on to play California in the Round of 32 next Friday.
The Red Foxes end their record-breaking season with a program best 13 wins on a 13-6-2 overall mark. Other records that fell in 2011 include freshman Amanda Epstein (Jericho, N.Y.) tying the all-time single season points record with 28 points and sophomore Rycke Guiney (Naperville, Ill.) setting the all-time single season assists record with nine helpers. Epstein also was the program's first-ever MAAC Rookie of the Year.
