After our loss to Rivers, we spent Thursday and Friday practices regrouping, identifying our goals for our final two weeks of the season, and reigniting our competitiveness and hunger for scoring goals. We came into our game against Thayer with a renewed offensive mentality and a clearer focus.

From the first minute of the game, we dominated the play and continuously pressured the Thayer defense with our new-found aggressiveness. We had numerous scoring opportunities from Shannon Ryan ’16, Irene DeMoulas ’14, and Natalie Zaffiro ’15. Our off the ball movement, dynamic runs in the box and well executed through balls by Dakota Foster ’14, Emily Robertson ’13, and Sophie Vizthum in the midfield made a huge difference in our offensive opportunities. Unfortunately, as the half closed, the scored remained 0-0.

As the second half got underway, we continued to dominate the play, but Thayer was able to capitalize on a corner kick to go up 1-0. Despite some wind taken from our sails, Middlesex persevered and resumed its offensive assault. With a sense of urgency and determination, we continued to press the Thayer defense and committed our line-up to an offensive formation sending Emily Robertson ’13, Sophie Vitzthum ’13, and Hilary Giles ’13 forward. By “going for it” offensively, we left ourselves a little vulnerable defensively and with six minutes left to go, Thayer again capitalized on a quick transition and took advantage of our low defensive numbers. The score became 2-0, but Middlesex kept their composure and continued to pursue a goal in the final minutes.

Despite our signature determination, we were not able to close out the game. This was a disappointing result for a remarkable team effort. However, we still have three games to go and we will continue to work towards achieving our goals for the final three games on our schedule. We look forward to Exeter on Wednesday.