In its final match of regular season play on Oct. 26, the women’s soccer team pulled out a narrow 1-0 victory over Bates College to secure the seventh seed in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) playoffs. Although the Mules fell to Middlebury College in the postseason quarterfinals on Oct. 29, the women proved their strength in the last few matches of the year.

Heading into the match against Bates, the Mules understood their must-win status, an attitude that was visible throughout the game. Although Bates controlled much of the first-half of play, first-year goalkeeper Emily Brook stayed strong and blocked several strong shots from the opponents’ offense.

With less than 10 minutes left in the first half, Colby capitalized off of a corner kick to bring the score to 1-0, turning the momentum of the game away from Bates’ grasp. In picture-perfect style, Grace Dickinson ’14 placed the ball across the front of the goal for Alex Yorke ’14, who seized the opportunity to head it past the Bobcat’s keeper Annie Burns. Throughout most of the remainder of the match, the Bates women were unable to find a rhythm on offense. Although the Bobcats began to gain steam with about 15 minutes remaining in the contest, the Mules were able to hold on to the win.

Three days later, the Mules battled against a formidable Middlebury squad in the NESCAC quarterfinals in Middlebury, Vt. Although the teams played evenly at the beginning of the match, the Panthers took the lead in the 22nd minute. A leading scorer for the Panthers, Middlebury’s Scarlett Kirk, pushed past a defender to blast a shot into the back of the right corner of the net, bringing the score to 1-0. In the second half, the Mules came close to scoring, but a Middlebury defender just barely beat Nikki Pickering ’12 to the ball and cleared it out of danger. Although the Mules kept the game close until the end, Kirk came through for the Panthers yet again, scoring from the left side of the 18-yard box to put the game away, 2-0.

Although a disappointing conclusion, the women certainly have much to celebrate. In their final season as Mules, Pickering and her fellow seniors Sam Merriweather, Alex Merriweather, Emily Moos and Marissa Simmons demonstrated their strength and resilience, helping the team earn a playoff berth and a 7-7-1 overall record.

The women will surely be missed, but the team looks forward to more success in the upcoming years.