Women’s soccer bests Bridgewater 1-0

PEARL LEE

Staff Writer

On Sept. 28, the women’s soccer team added another win to their record against Bridgewater with a final score of 1-0. Forward Amanda Krest scored the game-winning goal with a pass from forward Kaitlyn Venzen late in the second half. 

“It was a big game for us,” said Venzen, a freshman cybersecurity major. “It was a tough battle and I’m just happy that we got out with a win.”

A slow but physical start to Wednesday evening’s game saw balls flying into the stands, multiple players clashing to win the ball and a lot of nail-biting moments, but UMW came prepared. 

Before the game, Head Coach Scott Gerseny noted that because Bridgewater was starting a newer goalkeeper, “a big emphasis is making sure we get shots off on goal. From a midfield standpoint, I think it’s a great matchup and we’ve been talking about it all week.”

Even the fans could feel the restlessness with sounds of shock and awe every time an opponent took a shot at UMW’s goal, but senior goalie Ally Holden saved it every time with players occasionally leaping in front of the net to prevent any goals. Holden shut out the Bridgewater Eagles with four critical saves.

Holden was named the Coast-to-Coast Defensive Player of the Week for her three shutouts in the past week with 27 saves so far this season.

Throughout the game, spectators saw three fouls: two on UMW and one on Bridgewater. With two fouls in the second half, the game grew more intense as time went on. 

As UMW closed in on Bridgewater, players would start chanting, “Get dirty, Go Wash,” to hype them up, and even the fans would call out player names to shout out good plays. 

Ultimately, UMW led in shots on goal 5-3. 

Krest, a senior political science major, scored the game-winning goal, assisted by a pass from Venzen.

“Kaitlyn’s been doing a great job as a freshman,” said Krest. “She has scored a lot of goals for us and I’m just super excited that she’s always a part of the forward attack, and I just appreciate and love playing with her.”

Monday night’s game against Hood College was also a battle by UMW, but the Eagles pulled out another tough 1-0 win at home with 14 total shots on goal. Venzen was the one to find the back of the net against Hood.

“It was a really tough game, it was a battle between both teams to the end,” said Venzen. 

Venzen was happy to see Krest secure the win for the team against Bridgewater. 

“I’m really excited that she got to the ball and we scored,” said Venzen. “I’m really glad that we got the victory in the end and that we worked well as a team and we kept to our heads.” 

With a record of five wins, two losses and three ties so far, the team is working hard to put themselves in a good position for post-season play. The first round of the Coast-to-Coast tournament is just under a month away, beginning on Nov. 3. 

“For soccer, wins and ties are results so we’re good with that,” said Gerseny. “We’ve gone I think 5 or 6 straight now and we’re really excited about that and to keep things moving forward.” 

The Eagles will host the Salisbury Sea Gulls on Oct. 8 at the Battleground Athletic Complex, a tough conference match-up though the Eagles won both times the teams faced off last season.