This post was written by Hatchet senior staff writer Josh Solomon.
Another game against Delaware State, another shutout against Delaware State.
It was the Colonials’ fourth-ever match against the Hornets, and the second in so many years. Like the others, it was a comfortable win: 2-0 at home to improve to 4-4-0 on the season. What it was not was the type of win the women’s soccer team was necessarily looking for with one game left before the start of conference play.
“We’re shooting for something much higher than just winning a couple games here and there,” head coach Sarah Barnes said. “In order to do that you have to be really disciplined and patient. You have to have a good focus to do the right things, even though you might be able to beat someone.”
With the loss, Delaware State dropped to 2-7-1 on the season. GW was dominant on the scoreboard, shutting out a weaker opponent for the second straight game, but Barnes wanted to see more consistent possession of the ball from her team.
“We’re happy with the result, but we’re disappointed with the overall performance,” head coach Sarah Barnes said. “I think we know we can play better.”
The Colonials dominated in the first period, dictating the pace, controlling possession and limiting the Hornets to zero shots on goal and zero corner kicks.
They went up a goal in the 12th minute when junior MacKenzie Cowley capitalized on a patient possession: a minute and a half prior GW kicked a corner, looked for an opening, failed a couple times to find a crease, but kept the ball. After resetting, Cowley took a pass from freshman Mia Barreda to the top of the box and got in a one-on-one situation with the goalie. The Hornets’ goalie came out and Cowley went around to find the back of the net to the right side for the first goal of the game.
She wasn’t done. In the 69th minute, amid a sloppy second period for the Colonials, Cowley caught herself in a crowded box. A quick touch pass to sophomore Ingrid DiClemente and a quick touch pass back – just like in practice – Cowley swiftly put the ball on the ground and past the Delaware State goalie for the second and final goal of the game.
“When we play it quickly it can open up space, which is what we were having trouble with,” said DiClemente, who notched her second assist of the season. “But once we moved it faster, it gave us more opportunities”
But a goal is a goal, and a win is a win.
“If we did that more, we probably would have more goals, but we did that twice and that was enough so we got the win,” Cowley said. It was her second multi-goal scoring game of the season, and added her fifth and sixth goals of the season.
By the end of the match, GW had subbed in enough to play 20 different athletes. Senior goalie Ellen Conway got more action in almost 17 minutes than starting goalkeeper Miranda Horn, with three saves to Horn’s two despite spending the majority of the game between the posts. The Colonials would finish with 11 shots to Delaware State’s five.
Shoves were many and fouls were few in the second half, when elbows flew faster than the game clock the referees let tick down slowly. The Colonials kept the shutout and maintained the win as they look toward UMBC in Baltimore, Thursday, before Atlantic 10 play, and the team’s pursuit of a conference championship, starts at home on Oct. 1 against Saint Joseph’s.
When that happens, wins will become even more important. But for now, the focus is process. Cowley said that Barnes told the team after the game that, even though they won, she was disappointed in the level of play.
“Where we’re trying to get to is to be able to play not as good teams but being able to play at the level we play against great teams,” Cowley said.
