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The Spectator
Taking the Next Step
by Daniel Hagemeier '11Sports Editor
October 30, 2009
A team's quality can often best be measured in times of high pressure. The women's soccer team experienced such pressure in the last three weeks. After the second loss against William Smith College in second overtime, Head Coach Gilligan announced that the team needed four wins out of the last four games against Liberty League rivals to have a shot at the tournament. Hamilton had to play Clarkson University, St. Lawrence University, Union College and Skidmore College. The Continentals rose to the challenge, beating all four and finishing third in the Liberty League.
"We were playing well all season," explained Gilligan. "But we finally got over the hump and produced results. We are playing with confidence and we have seen that we can compete with the best in the region. In fact, our overall record could have been even better."
Hamilton started off its four game Liberty League winning streak with a 4-0 home win against Clarkson University. Alex Rimmer '13 contributed two goals (one penalty shot) to the win, Megan Cairns '12 scored once and Lauren Farver '11 was successful as well. Hamilton outscored Clarkson in every offensive category and came away with an easy win.
The next day, however, things got a little harder. It took just above 104 minutes before Laura Brandimarte '11 scored her first goal of the season, only five minutes before the end of second overtime. Exactly one week after the devastating last second loss to William Smith, Hamilton finished a double-overtime thriller as the winning team.
With the students off for fall break, the Continentals also took a little time off, losing to Utica College and playing tie against SUNY Oneonta. But when it mattered most, the team stepped up. Rimmer scored her first collegiate hattrick against Union College to turn a 0-1 halftime deficit into an important 3-1 win. The next day, Farver scored the only goal of the game against Skidmore after 50 minutes to give Hamilton a 1-0 win. The team will face Skidmore again for the Liberty League semifinals next Wednesday.
"We didn't start off the season too well and we had quite a few losses, but the scores didn't accurately reflect our team," said forward Rimmer. "All of our overtime games show that we are a team that will not give up, which was a great aspect of this season."
Rimmer has been one of the highlights this season. She leads the Continentals in scoring with twelve goals and has been a great replacement for last year's top forward Erica Dressler '09, who graduated.
"I knew Alex was going to play great," says Gilligan. "She is a competitor. It is rare to get a freshman with such a great sense of play. Alex scores our key goals like the hat-trick against Union, the league's number four seed."
Gilligan and the team now aim for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Continentals will have to beat Skidmore on its home turf, a tough task.
"But we have already beaten them," says Gilligan. "This should give us confidence."
Gilligan blames the Continentals' rough start to the season partly on the NESCAC rules that Hamilton has to follow.
"We are the only NESCAC team in the league. This means we cannot have a preseason like all other teams. Out season starts when the semester starts. Accordingly, we have less practice when we open the season. We also play fewer games, making the season a little bit more difficult for us."
But it matters how one finishes, and the team finished strong. All signs point to a successful post-season. If the team can continue to make big plays on the field, a spot in the NCAA Tournament is well within reach.