As the Raiders ended double overtime  against Navy this past Saturday night at Beyer-Small ’76 Field, worry spread throughout the crowd that their unbeaten streak would come to an end.  The Raiders had been trailing since the middle of the first half, but luckily sophomore forward Sarah Coy netted her third goal of the season, and the Raiders went into overtime. Sophomore goalie Brenna Mason played particularly well, with a total of 10 saves and the Raiders tied the Mids, extending their streak 

Coming off a huge 5-0 victory over Army, the Raiders had a lot of momentum coming into the Navy game.

“It’s always great to beat Army because they’re such a good team and a huge rival,” senior co-captain Emily Manoogian said. “We were confident but we knew Navy would be a completely different game and team.” After this weekend’s games, Navy fell to 4th in the Patriot League standings, while the Raiders moved up to first place.

While the Raiders certainly deserve the first place ranking they received, something was definitely off about their play in the game against Navy. The difference between the level of play in the game against Army – where the Raiders literally dominated both on offense and defense – and the game against Navy was substantial.  The Raiders did not possess the ball nearly as well nor did they get nearly as many

offensive opportunities.

“As a group I think we were a little off which obviously will happen every once in a while, but it was important that we didn’t panic, we stuck to our game plan and found a way to score a late goal which was huge,” senior co-captain Caroline Brawner said. “I would say if anything [the tie] motivates us and gives us more experience within

the league.”

Gaining experience in the league is certainly important to the team’s success because they can anticipate any opponent’s style of play. The Raiders have improved so much since last season that many teams cannot anticipate the level of play and are caught off guard when they play the Raiders. 

With a record of 9-1-2 for the season and a 4-0-1 record in the Patriot League, the women are having quite the season so far. After a 2-1 victory against rival Cornell University, the Raiders’ unbeaten streak has reached an astounding 11 games. Brawner and Coy scored the two goals in this game, keeping the Raiders’ position as the first seed in the Patriot League standings.

“We have an awesome group of girls and great team chemistry,” Manoogian said of factors contributing to the team’s success. “Everyone works hard for each other day in and day out.”

The women’s soccer team has unbelievable chemistry this season, which is apparent with every pass, drive up the field and defensive play. 

The team will enjoy a nice break of five days before they saddle up and head to Massachusetts to play the Holy Cross Crusaders this Saturday. Although Holy Cross has a Patriot League record of 1-2-1, their overall record is 9-2-2. The Raiders need to continue to play their game and not take their success for granted. If they continue playing as they have been, there is no doubt they could be looking at a Patriot League championship.