Coming off their first loss of the season, Women’s Soccer traveled to Randolph-Macon to play a powerhouse in the conference.
Head Coach Erin Saleeby said they made a change before the previous Guilford game and took it into the Randolph-Macon game.
“We were working on matching their formation. This was fine in the Guilford game. We just didn’t come out well in the second half,” Saleeby said.
In the first half against Randolph-Macon, the Panthers fell to a 2-0 deficit which held until halftime.
Saleeby said the new formation wasn’t working against Randolph-Macon, and they decided to go back to their original formation in the second half.
After the transition back, Saleeby thought her team played much better in the second half.
“We disrupted them, and they were nervous in the second half,” Saleeby said. “There was a feeling that if we got one, we could get another. It just didn’t happen for us.”
The game had no score in the second half, resulting in a 2-0 Panther loss.
Saleeby wanted to make sure her team didn’t dwell on the back-to-back losses.
“I told them that we have to learn from our mistakes and move on,” Saleeby said. “We know we are a good team, but even good teams are going to have bad games and bad days. We have to stay confident and that we are able to play with anyone.”
The team got a confidence boost after a dominating performance against Sweet Briar on Wednesday.
After back-to-back shutouts, the Panthers put up seven goals in the first half.
“Guilford and Macon are both really good teams,” Saleeby said. “Sweet Briar wasn’t quite as strong, which allowed us to play a little bit more freely and allowed us to move some people around and give rest to some that are a little bit banged up right now.”
Sweet Briar scored a goal in the final seconds of the game, but the Panthers took home the win 7-1.
During a blowout win, Saleeby is able to get different players into the game, giving them ODAC experience.
“It’s really important to get younger players experience in the college game during these games. That experience is invaluable,” Saleeby said. “It’s also a really good opportunity to get some rest for other players. We still have five games left, and all of them will be fights. It’s nice to not have tired legs going into those games.”
The first of the final five games is against Randolph College tonight at 7 p.m. to start homecoming weekend.
“We need to grab a few more wins. We are completely capable of doing that, and the team knows it,” Saleeby said. “They have to stay confident and continue to work hard. Now is not the time to lose sight of the work that goes into preparing for games.”
