Losing your final game of the season is tough. Not winning a single Mid-American Conference match during the entire season is even tougher.
On Thursday afternoon, the women's soccer team suffered a tough loss to the Kent State Golden Flashes. The Bulls (4-10-4, 0-9-2 MAC) battled fiercely but could not get past the Golden Flashes (6-11-1, 3-7-1 MAC).
Kent State tallied their first goal 19 minutes into the first half with a goal from senior Caitlin Hester. Hester, who led the team with five goals this season, scored off her own throw-in, which deflected off a Buffalo defender past senior goalkeeper Amy Coron.
Buffalo head coach Michael Thomas attributes the quickness of Kent State due to the Bulls' need to adjust to the size of their field.
"Kent State has a small difficult field to play on and we needed some time adjusting to generate our offense," he said.
The Bulls responded in the 37th minute when senior forward/midfielder Brooke McCalla found the net off a 25-yard cross from sophomore midfielder/forward Lindsey Bailey, tying the game With time winding down in the first half, freshman Jennifer Stapleton put Kent State ahead in the 42nd minute, recording the first goal of her collegiate career.
Thomas might have been disappointed in the loss, but he was proud of his team in the end.
"I am proud of how we generated a lot more chances in the second half," he said. "However, indicative of our season, we weren't able to put them in the net."
The Bulls were able to generate more offense in the second half but the pressure of Kent State's defense held the score to secure the win. Coron made eight saves in the game, bringing her season save total to 98. Kent State held the advantage in shots taken with a 22-8 edge this afternoon.
At the end of the day, Thomas looks ahead to the future, using everything that happened this season as fuel for what is to come for his team.
"We can take a lot of positives from this season," he said. "Our young players played very well. We had some injuries, but going forward we should be all right when we get healthy. We had a lot of one goal games and if we learn to put away our chances we can turn it around."
With all eight playoff spots clinched, this game ended the Bulls 2008 campaign. Nonetheless, Thomas feels the future is bright for his Buffalo Bulls.
"This season's record wasn't about a lack of focus," he said. "Our seniors did a great job leading the team. We need to put away our opportunities and not let them get away."
While the Bulls are officially done for the season, there are still eight teams vying for the conference championship. The quarterfinals for the MAC Tournament begin on Sunday.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
