Junior midfielder Sarah Loprieno (pictured above) moves the ball through the midfield in the SUNYAC title game against SUNY Cortland. The Knights won 2-1 that game and moved on to the first round of the NCAA tournament where they would come up short, losing 1-0 to their opponent. (Josie Kwan/Assoc. Photo Editor)
The Knights’ women’s soccer season has unfortunately come to an end. After winning the SUNYAC Championship against SUNY Cortland, the Knights headed to Williamstown, Massachusetts to square off against Stevens Institute of Technology.
The Knights gave a valiant effort but unfortunately came up short. The game lasted until the second overtime when Stevens sophomore midfielder Emily Damrell ended the game, breaking a scoreless tie to secure Stevens the 1-0 win.
Geneseo’s star goalkeeper, senior Emily Janiszewski, kept the Knights in it all game long. Stevens outshot the Knights 27-6 over the course of the match. Janiszewski made 13 saves, including two saves in overtime. After being named SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Year, Janiszewski gave the Knights a fighting chance all the way through the end.
Before the game, Janiszewski knew the Knights would have to focus on maintaining their defense.
“Stevens is a very talented team with a strong attack. I knew, going into the game, that our team would be playing more defensively than usual,” Janiszewski said. “This helped me to start mentally preparing for the game early which resulted in a good game for myself.”
The only goal that was scored was actually deflected off one of the Knights’ defenders. Goals like that are tough to swallow, but Janiszewski took it lightly, telling the Stevens’ headcoach, “If that’s the only way your team can score on me, then so be it.”
This tough loss, after such a strong season, didn’t sit well for many of the Knights players.
“I personally felt very defeated after Stevens scored,” Janiszewski said.
Some Knights players, however, tried to keep their heads held high.
“The first thing I thought of after they scored was to make sure that anyone involved in the final play knew the goal wasn’t their fault regardless of how it might have felt,” senior midfielder Caitie Cunningham said. “One stride of bad luck and it can all be over.”
Looking back, the Knights were grateful for their opportunity to even play in such a prestigious tournament.
“The NCAA experience is very exciting,” Cunningham said. “Everything is more official and structured, from the pregame practice to the locker room, so you know you’re in a serious environment.”
With the end of the season, some Knights have reached their journey’s close as they will graduate from Geneseo. Seniors Cunningham and Janiszewski were both high impact players for the Knights.
“I will undoubtedly miss my teammates the most, but luckily we’re all great friends too” Cunningham said.
Janiszewski agreed with those sentiments.
“Walking out of class on the first Monday out of season felt very weird because usually I go right to practice,” Janiszewski said. “But this time, I didn’t know what to do with myself.”
While they are losing some key players, the Knights have many great young stars. Out of their top five scorers, three will be back next year. Sophomore forward Miranda Ozimek, junior forward Domenica Piccoli and first-year freshman Hannah Sullivan will all be back next year to help keep the Knights on top as they search for their third straight SUNYAC title.