In their final home game of the season, the Huskies secured a 2-0 triumph over the Bishop Miege Stags, marking an emotional farewell for nine departing seniors. Before kickoff, the team honored seniors Alex Cowdrey, Alyssa Gagnon, Nimu Karani, Katie Mitchell, Ava Nichols, Emily Peterson, Kate Rooney, Logan Wittrock and Lila Vancrum. According to head coach Michelle Pothoven, the girls fought through the game, managing to score two goals with 13 minutes left on the clock.
“Late in the second half, we came out a little bit stronger. We were able to regroup at halftime and then we finally found the back of the net,” Pothoven said.
Senior goalkeeper Nimu Karani saved the Huskies from a penalty kick in the first half, then at halftime, the Huskies and Stags were tied, 0-0.
With 13:00 minutes remaining in the game, senior Kate Rooney opened the scoring with a goal, assisted by senior Logan Wittrock, and shortly after, freshman Mariam Kante kept the Huskies in the lead, assisted by Rooney.
Reflecting on the season, Rooney expressed the significance of teamwork and collaboration in their success.
“I feel like this year was finally the year [when] everything clicked, like everything fell into place. We had all the right players and the team chemistry has just been so good this year,” Rooney said.
According to Pothoven, this large group of seniors has made it even harder to say goodbye.
“There were happy tears before the game, there were tears during senior night, there were tears even through the game,” Pothoven said. “We are so thankful that they bring us to tears because that is how impactful they are.”
Pothoven said this was not the best game the girls have played all year, though, despite this, Pothoven believes senior night is more than just winning.
“It’s about honoring the seniors, it is about remembering what they have done for our program. And on top of that, they are incredible players, and they are even better people,” Pothoven said.
Looking ahead, the team faces Notre Dame De Sion away on May 9, with playoffs shortly after. According to Rooney, she believes the team can secure further victories.
“It is definitely a little nerve-wracking realizing that these next couple games are not guaranteed if we lose [because] we are then done,” Rooney said. “But I have high hopes just because we play so well as a team and I really think we can do anything we put our mind to.”
Pothoven agrees with Rooney and said she believes the team can continue their double-digit wins, growing their 10-4-1 record.
“We are going in really strong,” Pothoven said. “We are playing our best soccer right now and that is what we want to be doing. We are going to be hard to beat.”
