2008 Woodie Awards
Women's soccer wins but falls short of ACC tourney
Dan Morrison
Issue date: 10/31/08 Section: Sports
Going through the postgame handshake last night, the Terrapin women's soccer team was all smiles. Minutes later, those smiles turned into frowns.
The mixed emotions were indicative of how the Terps felt following their 1-0 win against Clemson (5-10-1, 1-7-1 ACC). With what they knew as the final whistle blew, the win had kept their season alive. They had taken care of their business, and they shifted their attention to another ACC foe: the Miami Hurricanes.
The outcome of the Hurricanes game against N.C. State would determine whether the Terps (7-10-1, 3-7-0) would be packing their bags for the ACC tournament next week.
The team huddled around coach Brian Pensky to hear its fate. And the players quickly realized a rare ACC win was all for naught.
"When they circled up, they were looking for the information," Pensky said. "So I told them Miami won. It's an empty feeling right now."
Despite the Terps defeating the Tigers on Senior Night, because of the Hurricanes' 1-0 win against the Wolfpack, the Terps won't be one of the eight teams vying for the ACC championship next week. The Hurricanes officially eliminated the Terps from the tournament when their score became final with more than 10 minutes remaining in the Terps' game.
Hearing the bad news from Pensky made celebrating the season finale win a bit more difficult, especially for the six seniors who ended their Terp careers with a win.
"It's bittersweet, because we really deserved to be one of those top eight," senior midfielder Nataly Arias said of being left out of the ACC tournament for the third consecutive year. "But it's still nice that we got a good win, played so well and ended the season on a good note."
Needing a win against the Tigers, the Terps came out determined to make sure they wouldn't hand over the conference tournament berth to the Hurricanes without a fight.
After a couple shots that barely tested Tiger goalkeeper Paula Pritzen, the Terps finally got on the board when it appeared least likely.
The mixed emotions were indicative of how the Terps felt following their 1-0 win against Clemson (5-10-1, 1-7-1 ACC). With what they knew as the final whistle blew, the win had kept their season alive. They had taken care of their business, and they shifted their attention to another ACC foe: the Miami Hurricanes.
The outcome of the Hurricanes game against N.C. State would determine whether the Terps (7-10-1, 3-7-0) would be packing their bags for the ACC tournament next week.
The team huddled around coach Brian Pensky to hear its fate. And the players quickly realized a rare ACC win was all for naught.
"When they circled up, they were looking for the information," Pensky said. "So I told them Miami won. It's an empty feeling right now."
Despite the Terps defeating the Tigers on Senior Night, because of the Hurricanes' 1-0 win against the Wolfpack, the Terps won't be one of the eight teams vying for the ACC championship next week. The Hurricanes officially eliminated the Terps from the tournament when their score became final with more than 10 minutes remaining in the Terps' game.
Hearing the bad news from Pensky made celebrating the season finale win a bit more difficult, especially for the six seniors who ended their Terp careers with a win.
"It's bittersweet, because we really deserved to be one of those top eight," senior midfielder Nataly Arias said of being left out of the ACC tournament for the third consecutive year. "But it's still nice that we got a good win, played so well and ended the season on a good note."
Needing a win against the Tigers, the Terps came out determined to make sure they wouldn't hand over the conference tournament berth to the Hurricanes without a fight.
After a couple shots that barely tested Tiger goalkeeper Paula Pritzen, the Terps finally got on the board when it appeared least likely.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Poor Performance of the Women's Program is Unacceptable
posted 10/31/08 @ 8:11 AM EST
My heart goes out to the women's soccer program. They should at least be given an opportunity to participate in the tournament -- all ACC teams shoul!!! There were significant efforts made recently to enhance the UM program, but the same problems seem to remain -- the biggest of which clearly is the inability of the team to score. (Continued…)
Brittany Cummins
posted 10/31/08 @ 2:37 PM EST
Hey the women's team really appreciates your support! I personally love to hear that all of the hard work that I have put into this sport since I was four is an embarrassment to the university and you, someone who has time to post such a thoughtful comments at 8:11 AM on a friday morning. (Continued…)
Brittany you are right
posted 10/31/08 @ 3:27 PM EST
Brittany -- you are absolutely right. I read you comments, and . . . . quite honestly you are right. My previous negative comments were out of line. Period. (Continued…)
Brittany Cummins
posted 11/03/08 @ 6:26 PM EST
Thanks. I hope you and your family enjoyed a fun and safe halloween weekend!
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