This past weekend, the Colby women’s soccer season came to an end in the second round of the NCAA tournament following a 1–0 loss to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The team had advanced to the second round following a 2–0 win over Montclair State the day before.
The Mules came out slowly in the beginning of the Montclair State game, as goalkeeper MK Marshall `26 was forced to make an early pair of saves on quality shots by Red Hawks attackers. Around the twentieth minute, Colby finally found their footing offensively, and strong opportunities from Annie Liebich `27 and Ella Carraluzzi `28 required saves from Montclair State goalie Salange Bell. Neither side managed any further shots on goal until the fortieth minute, when Colby’s Jane Maguire `26 opened the scoring with an unassisted strike.
Following the halftime break, Montclair State made several strong efforts to tie the match, recording four consecutive corner kicks and three resulting shots. The Mules’ defense and substitute goalkeeper Sadie Gardner `28, who entered the game at halftime, did an excellent job standing up to the challenge on each occasion. Colby eventually earned a corner of their own in the sixty-fifth minute, and Amanda Schneider `29 found the back of the net seconds later with an assist from Abigail Jarvi `27, putting the game safely out of reach. Montclair State did manage to hit the crossbar with a shot minutes later, but ultimately was unable to break through the strong defense of the Mules, and the match ended in a 2–0 Colby victory.
On Sunday, the team faced a familiar opponent in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the same team that they defeated in the second round of last year’s NCAA tournament. The MIT Engineers fielded a considerably stronger team this season, entering the match ranked eighteenth in the country with a 22-2-1 record. In 14 games dating back to October 4, the Engineers have conceded only a single goal, winning the NEWMAC Championship decisively along the way. Colby fared much better than most of MIT’s recent opponents offensively, getting unlucky early in the match when Claire Walsh `28’s shot rang off the crossbar. Jarvi followed it up with a shot on goal of her own, but Engineers goalkeeper Ava Muffoletto stopped it.
Following a strong save by Marshall, the Mules were called for a foul in the penalty area, giving the Engineers a penalty kick. Marshall was unable to stop Natalie Barnouw’s shot from the penalty spot, giving MIT a 1–0 lead. Maguire nearly matched her effort from the prior match with an excellent shot in the waning minutes of the first half, but it too was turned away by Muffoletto. After the break, both teams substituted their goalkeepers, and MIT’s Maddy Noll turned away a great shot by Avery Barton `27. Gardner, who entered the game for the Mules, did well to keep the team within striking distance, saving a pair of tough MIT shots. Despite an all-out attack, Colby could not break through as time wound down, even as MIT picked up a pair of yellow cards. They would not muster a further shot on goal, and time eventually ran out on the Mules’ season.
The team closes out another immensely successful season under Head Coach Seth Benjamin, winning both a NESCAC tournament game and an NCAA tournament game for the second year in a row. Next year, the Mules return a large portion of their offensive and defensive starters, and hope to finally take the next step within the conference and beyond. MIT advances to play the defending national champions, Washington University of St. Louis, next weekend.
~ Matt Quealy `26
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