Sophomore Joey Gingold winds up for a shot at the Kline & Specter Squash Center. Gingold is 2-0 so far this season, defeating opponents from Navy and Georgetown.

The Drexel squash teams commenced their 2013-14 campaign Nov. 16, with mixed results. The men’s team split its first two decisions, while the women got off to a perfect start, picking up a shutout victory.

The men started the year falling 5-4 at the hands of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Drexel received winning sets from Ibrahim Bakir, Michael Thompson, Joey Gingold and Nat Fry at 1, 3, 7 and 9, respectively. Freshmen Fry and Thompson were victorious in their first career college sets. Navy, however, was able to sneak by with an extra set and defend its home court.

In their second match of the season, the men would see much-improved results. All nine Dragons were victorious in their sets against Georgetown University. Bakir, Justin Singh, Thompson, Sebastian Dangond Gala, Noel Solomon and Ben Bevan won the first six spots of Drexel’s ladder. Fry, Harshil Dokania and August Crofton won the final three spots to put an exclamation point on a clean sweep for the Dragons.

Just like the men against the Hoyas, the women also rode a 9-0 sweep to achieve their first victory of the season. Drexel was able to dominate Johns Hopkins University and take every set as the teams played at the Naval Academy, a neutral site for both squads.

The women were led by Damindhi Udangawa, who won the No. 1 spot on the ladder for Drexel. Mary Fung-A-Fat and Elisa Money, who were ranked second and third, respectively, each won their collegiate and team career sets.

The victory for the women marked the first time in the program’s thee-year history that Drexel got off to a winning start.

Each Dragons squad will look to build off their first victories and put a winning streak together when they open their home schedule at the Kline & Specter Squash Center on Drexel’s campus. The two teams return for lengthy homestands, with each set for four home contests. The four matches will be their only home dates before winter break.

The action will begin Nov. 22 at 5 p.m. against Franklin & Marshall College. For the rest of the weekend, the schedule will feature Cornell University Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. and Williams College Nov. 24 at 10 a.m.. Both the men and women will face off with their counterparts in each of the three matches.

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Sophomore Joey Gingold goes for the ball during a squash match against Colgate University Feb. 8. The Dragons triumphed over the Raiders 9-0 at the Kline and Specter Squash Center in their matchup last season.

Now into their third year as a Division I program, the Drexel squash teams are ready to take a big step forward this season. Both the men’s and the women’s teams open their seasons Nov. 16. The men will compete in a doubleheader against both the United States Naval Academy and Georgetown University, while the women will take on Johns Hopkins University. They both officially embark on their 2013-14 campaigns at 9:30 a.m. in Annapolis, Md.

The two teams will look to advance the program to the next level. They will be led by head coach John White, the former top-ranked squash player in the world. White is excited to go into the season.

“I’m very happy with how both teams are coming together both on and off the court … and moving so quickly up the rankings,” he said.

The teams are constructed in a way that reflects the infancy of the program at the varsity level. Each of the two squads is rich in young talent in the form of freshmen and sophomores. Between the two, there are only 10 juniors and seniors.

White said he likes what the freshmen bring to the team as the program continues to ascend.

“The freshmen are fitting in well with the team and all brought those little extras to the program,” he said.

Coming off two losing seasons in their first two years, the squads will have their work cut out for them. The men last year finished below .500 at 10-12, while the women were a tick below them at 8-11. The players will look to improve on that, but they can only do what they can handle.

White has a slight fear that they may be looking to do too much or will put too much pressure on themselves and throw themselves off. As they are young teams, it would seem to be a legitimate concern.

“Not putting too much pressure on themselves during their matches [will be a challenge],” White said. “This is [big] for all the players on both teams. Sometimes they want to win so [badly] that they forget how to play correctly.”

Despite those challenges, White has some pretty high expectations for each of his teams. To continue building forward and making positive strides, he would like to see each of his teams get to at least the top 16 in the College Squash Association rankings. A year ago, the men finished outside that class with a final ranking of 22, and the women, despite a slightly worse record, finished two spots higher in their list at 20.

“[There will be] some tough matches to make this happen, but I am very confident in both teams,” White said.

The teams have been hard at work looking to make that happen. At this point in the preseason, the teams have been in training for about six weeks.

“Getting the season matches underway and seeing them all perform after a good 5-6 weeks of solid training both on and off the court [is exciting],” White said. “This can be a great season for both teams; we just have to get the W’s.”

It may be a good time to capitalize on garnering the most support from the University and its body of students, faculty and alumni. Squash at Drexel may be at an all-time high after the athletic department announced in October that it has agreed to terms to host the U.S. Open Championships for the next 10 years. The program is on the squash map now more than ever.

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[media-credit name=”The Triangle File Photo” align=”alignleft” width=”300″] The Drexel women’s soccer team won its final match of the season against the College of Charleston by a score of 4-1. Lauren Stollar, Jess Sarkisian, Christine Stevenson and Nicolette Wilkins all scored in the first half for the Dragons. The team finished the 2013 season with a 7-10-1 overall record, with a 3-5 record in CAA play.

Although they did their part over the weekend, the Drexel women’s soccer team’s season ended short of a Colonial Athletic Association playoff berth. The Dragons were eliminated Oct. 27 despite defeating the University of North Carolina Wilmington and the College of Charleston in their final two games.

Drexel entered the weekend with a small chance of earning a berth in the conference tournament. The standings and playoff scenarios required Drexel to win both Friday and Sunday and UNCW to lose to Delaware Sunday afternoon in order to secure the sixth and final seed.

Things got off to a perfect start in the Dragons’ mission for the playoffs. In a close game, decided late, Drexel came out victorious and — temporarily — still alive with a 1-0 victory over UNCW.

The game was an extremely close one, with each team keeping the opposition scoreless at halftime. Drexel managed to take five shots on goal, while the Seahawks fired off four at goalie Eve Badana. As the game grew late, the match remained scoreless. Christine Stevenson had a good look and attempted to give Drexel the lead but was turned away by UNCW goalkeeper Carolyn Huddy.

Finally, in the game’s 83rd minute of action, Drexel broke through and took the lead. Megan Hammaker, who had been at the center of all Drexel’s scoring lately, sent a corner kick in front of the net. Lauren Stollar connected on it and put it past Huddy for the game’s only goal.

However, the Seahawks would not go down quietly in the game’s final minutes with their own playoff chances on the line. With about two minutes remaining in regulation, Maddie McCormick tried to send the game to overtime, but Eve Badana made the game-clinching save and Drexel still had life — at least for another 36 hours. The save also secured Badana’s 17th career shutout, tying the all-time program record.

The Dragons took the momentum of the big win into Charleston. This time, they wasted no time becoming the first to score.

Five minutes into the game, it was Stollar again who gave Drexel the lead with her third goal in the last four games. The goal opened the floodgates for Drexel, and well before halftime was even in sight, the Dragons had a 4-0 lead after goals from Stevenson, Jess Sarkisian and Nicolette Wilkins.

Jade Reynolds scored Charleston’s only goal of the game right before halftime, but the Dragons were well on their way to their seventh victory of the season, a 4-1 final. It capped an impressive weekend, one in which the Dragons stepped up to the challenge.

“I think they did very well. Any time you go on the road it’s tough,” Ray Goon, head coach, said. “When you’re playing Friday and Sunday, it’s extra tough, so anytime you can come off a road weekend, well, that’s really good.”

Playing especially well at just the right time was Stollar. Her big weekend earned her CAA Co-Player of the Week honors, something that left her ecstatic.

“I’ve always admired those who have received this recognition, as they are extremely talented, elite players, and getting nominated to be among them was truly an honor,” she said.

After taking care of their own business, the Dragons were left with nothing to do but hope that UNCW would fall to the University of Delaware later that same afternoon. But they would not be so lucky, as the Seahawks defeated the Blue Hens to take the final playoff seed, leaving Drexel out.

“Unfortunately, things didn’t fall our way for the playoff spot, but we accomplished what we set out to do for the weekend,” Goon said.

Ultimately, the Dragons were done in by their struggles from previous weeks and matches. Goon spoke about a few games he wishes he and the team could get back. He talked about losses to James Madison University and Towson University, admitting that the team simply did not play well in the latter.

Goon also mentioned the loss against The College of William & Mary and said that the Tribe’s coach approached him after the game and actually admitted that he thought his team did not deserve the 2-0 victory.

“Obviously, our expectations were to return to the playoffs. Coming pretty close last year, that’s what we wanted, that’s what we felt we were capable of doing, and that’s why you’ve got to play the season,” Goon said. “I’m sure on paper it would have looked like we would have made it no problem.”

Drexel did suffer a number of injuries this season, which could explain why the team fell short. The Dragons experienced injuries to many, most notably captain Sam Greenfield.

“It’s tough. It’s unfair for me to say it was just the injuries we suffered because I think every team suffers injuries,” Goon said. “But that’s the challenge of the season, and you just have to persevere. … But to say [they] did not have an effect, it would not be true.”

With that, the Dragons will put to rest their 2013 campaign, one that, despite the disappointing record, saw them continue to push and work hard. Look no further than the way the team responded in the final weekend, including scoring four goals in the first 30 minutes, as confirmation that they played hard through the end. The hard work is why Goon regrets the record so much; it was just a tough year full of too many obstacles.

“It’s unfortunate; I don’t think the record reflects the way we’ve played. I think that’s a bit of a shame because the players worked really hard this year,” he said.

It’s a sentiment shared by the players, especially Stollar.

“When I heard that we didn’t make it to playoffs, I was devastated because I felt that with our team’s performance throughout the weekend, we definitely showed that we deserved to get that last playoff spot,” Stollar said. “Anyone watching our team in the last two games could have said the same because we all gave 100 percent and played our hearts out.”

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[media-credit name=”Ajon Brodie” align=”alignleft” width=”300″] Junior Melissa Chapman carries the ball upfield during a game at Vidas Field. The defender has one assist this season, which came during Drexel’s 3-0 win over the University of Maryland Baltimore County Sept. 1.

Drexel’s women’s soccer team’s hopes for another Colonial Athletic Association Tournament appearance darkened last week, as the team dropped its match Oct. 18 against the University of Delaware by a score of 1-0.

Coming off a breakthrough victory, one that saw them snap a 530-minute scoreless streak, the Dragons were looking to build some late-season momentum and make a charge at the postseason. They won the game against Hofstra University after receiving their first goal from Megan Hammaker, who had initially found the crossbar in the first half of the game.

In the opening minutes of the match against Delaware, Hammaker found herself an early scoring opportunity, but again she found the post instead. It was one of five shots Drexel got off in the opening half of a game that saw the two teams in a scoreless tie at halftime, just like the Hofstra game.

But it would not be deja vu for Drexel or for Hammaker, as they were held scoreless.

It was the Blue Hens who came out firing, getting off four shots in the first 15 minutes of the second half, the fourth of which found its way past Dragons goalkeeper Eve Badana. The goal was created when Emily Market found Chelsea Duffy, who slipped it into the right side of the net.

That would be the only goal Badana allowed all game, but it was enough to do Drexel in. The Dragons only managed two shots on goal in the second half, only one of which came after the goal was scored to put them behind.

It marked the eighth time in the last 10 games that Drexel lost, and each of those eight losses have seen the Dragons fail to score a goal.

Though Drexel had struggled in many games leading up to this one, head coach Ray Goon had always praised his players for the effort and play. After this game, though, he admitted that the effort was “not as complete.”

“Overall, I don’t believe we played as well against Delaware as we did the previous three or four games,” he said. “We were more inconsistent against Delaware. We had some really good moments and stretches, but our overall effort was not as complete and it cost us a desirable result.”

But, to be fair to Delaware, he thought they gave the Dragons a taller task than the Pride. The Blue Hens did a sensational job of containing Drexel, thus limiting the shots.

“I felt that Delaware played better against us than Hofstra did,” Goon explained. “They had us under a little more pressure, and we had to defend more, which probably led to us not being able to get into our offense as much like we did against Hofstra.”

With the loss, Drexel now stands at 1-5 in the CAA and 5-10-1 overall. Their conference record has them looking up to everyone except the College of Charleston, which just joined the conference few months ago. It also ensured that Drexel would not be able to pass Delaware in the standings.

To win the CAA playoffs, the six best teams compete in the conference tournament at the end of the season. There are currently five teams — James Madison University, The College of William & Mary, Northeastern University, Hofstra, and Delaware — who the Dragons can’t catch.

That means if the Dragons are to play in any type of postseason, they would need to secure the sixth and final seed, which is currently held by the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a 3-3 record.

Drexel is, of course, not having the season it dreamed of having, coming off a year as the No. 2 seed in the CAA playoffs. There is obvious disappointment that comes attached to a season in which they have been shut out in 10 of their 16 games. But still, the players are staying positive.

“Going into the final weekend of regular season, there is the obvious disappointment of not being in control of our own playoff chances,” Goon said. “But our players are still upbeat because we can still make the playoffs.”

One break Drexel may have caught this season is scheduling. For the mission ahead of needing to catch the sixth seed, they get to face the team that holds the sixth seed, UNCW, and the team that has yet to beat anyone in the conference, the College of Charleston.

UNCW, meanwhile, in addition to having to play Drexel, will wrap its regular season and CAA schedule with Delaware.

A win over UNCW would give Drexel the tiebreaking edge, as the Dragons would also have to win their final game against Charleston and see UNCW lose against Delaware.

The big game against the Seahawks will begin Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. in Wilmington, N.C., with the Dragons’ backs firmly against the wall. Then, the Oct. 27 tilt with Charleston will take place at 1 p.m.

The Dragons will go into each of those games with the same attitude that they have had all season and let the other scenarios play themselves out.

“Regardless of the scenarios that need to unfold for us to make the playoffs, we still need to go into every game with the same approach: to play to the best of our abilities individually and as a team,” Goon said. “We need to take care of our own business and let the soccer gods decide if we get the opportunity to extend the season.”

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[media-credit name=”Ken Chaney” align=”alignleft” width=”300″] Senior midfielder Jess Sarkisian controls a ball during Drexel’s 1-0 victory over the University of Delaware last season at Vidas Field. The Dragons travel to Newark, Del., Oct. 18 to face the Blue Hens in a crucial CAA match.

Although it came as part of a weekend split, the Drexel women’s soccer team is back in the win column. The Dragons defeated Hofstra University 2-1 Oct. 13 following a 1-0 loss to Northeastern University two days before.

Drexel came out firing in the rain Oct. 11 against Northeastern, although the scoreboard did not reflect it and the teams went into halftime in a scoreless tie. Playing with energy, the Dragons had their share of scoring opportunities and outshot the Huskies 7-2 in the first 45 minutes.

Shortly after the resumption of play in the second half, Northeastern pulled in front. Hanna Terry brought the ball up the side of the field and connected with Lahaina Zoller. The Northeastern forward, who had come off the bench as a substitute, kicked the ball past a diving Eve Badana.

Badana made six saves in net throughout the game, while counterpart Paige Burnett secured seven saves to notch a clean sheet.

The win put Northeastern into a temporary tie for first place in the Colonial Athletic Association with The College of William & Mary, but the Huskies have since taken the lead. Drexel, meanwhile, was shut out for the fourth straight home game and the fifth straight game overall. Head coach Ray Goon witnessed yet another game where his Dragons could not catch a break.

“I feel we matched Northeastern’s energy, and we adapted well to the rain,” Goon said. “It was a very even match. As was the case with the previous week, the ball just didn’t bounce our way.”

The ball must have bounced a whole different way Sunday, as Drexel was able not only to score but also to break their five-game losing streak. The Dragons took down Hofstra 2-1 on the team’s annual Senior Day.

Before the game, Jess Sarkisian, Andi Stampone and Christine Stevenson were honored for their service with the program. They were set to play their final career regular-season game at Vidas Field, and the team gave them a positive home sendoff.

Drexel’s scoring drought nearly ended 15 minutes into the game when Megan Hammaker fired a shot at Emily Morphitis, which deflected off the Pride goalkeeper and then the crossbar. It was one of eight shots for the Dragons, who incredibly outshot Hofstra 8-0 through one half of play.

In the second half, Drexel — Hammaker specifically — finally broke through. After roughly 530 minutes of play without a goal, the junior put Drexel in front 1-0. It was the first Drexel goal scored at Vidas Field since Sept. 8.

The goal itself came after a corner kick from Stevenson, one of Drexel’s seniors. After a struggle for anyone to come up with the ball, Hammaker was able to get a shot off and put Drexel on the board. The Dragons had longed for a goal celebration, and now they finally had that chance.

“I think when I first scored, and I’m pretty sure game film will prove it, it was just all adrenaline and excitement,” Hammaker said. “Everyone was just yelling and screaming and jumping; I think we all really missed celebrating a goal.”

Their lead was short-lived, however, as just eight minutes later, Leah Galton knotted the game up with a goal for the Pride.

But just 63 seconds later, Drexel took the lead for good. Lauren Stollar scored the game winner for Drexel, and their five-game losing streak was history. With the victory, Drexel improved to 5-9-1 overall, and 1-4 in CAA play. Badana made six saves and the defense played tremendously, but this game was about ending the scoring drought.

Although the second game of the weekend featured much more success, Goon did not see much of a noticeable difference between the two games. He did, however, notice a difference between the two halves against Hofstra.

“I don’t know if there was a difference between the two games,” he said. “[There was the] same level of energy, focus and execution in both matches. But I can definitely say there was a difference between the first and second half of the Hofstra match that factored in the win.”

Goon described the game as “chippy,” as there were a total of 33 fouls and five yellow cards between the two teams. Both teams also had to deal with strong winds hovering over Vidas Field, which Goon said were a factor.

“I feel we did more going against the wind than Hofstra did,” he explained. “They had zero shots, while we generated shots and scoring opportunities playing without the benefit of the wind. I believe that was a big difference.”

Hammaker said the win came at a “crucial point,” as the team’s back was up against the wall.

“Our team has no doubt been working hard and playing good soccer, but we just haven’t gotten the results we felt we deserved,” she continued. “I also think that along with some added confidence, it gave us a more clear motivation. We’re all aware that we have to win out the rest of our games to have a shot at playoffs, and I think what we got most from this game was the feeling that we can still do this.”

Drexel now turns the page to its final stretch of the regular season. The Dragons have the benefit of focusing an entire week on the program’s rival, the University of Delaware. Goon’s squad will visit the Blue Hens Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. It will be their only game of the entire weekend, and the coming week for that matter.

Each team will come into the match in near-desperation mode. Each team is in the thick of the playoff picture, with the Blue Hens’ outlook being a bit more favorable, as they are one of four teams within a game of Drexel, having two conference wins.

“You really don’t need additional motivation when it comes to Drexel vs. Delaware,” Goon said. “But with both teams battling to stay alive in the playoff picture, it should be an extra lively bout.”

The post Women’s soccer finally victorious appeared first on The Triangle.

Drexel defender Andi Stampone has been a staple on the back end for the Dragons this season, starting in all 13 matches thus far with one shot on goal.

The Drexel women’s soccer team’s struggles continued offensively. For the fourth straight game, the Dragons failed to get on the scoreboard and were shut out 2-0 Oct. 6 by James Madison University.

Drexel fell to 4-8-1 on the season and has yet to win a game within the Colonial Athletic Association, falling to 0-3 in conference play.

The game started out as a close contest, with each team scoreless through the halfway point. JMU fired five shots, while the Dragons stayed close with four. Goalkeeper Eve Badana received strong play from the defenders in front of her, as the junior was backed by two blocked shots from her Drexel teammates.

Despite struggling to get anything going offensively in the early stages and majority of the second half, the Dragons were able to keep the game scoreless. The Dukes were relentless in their attack, sending a total of 13 shots Badana’s way.

JMU would finally break through about 75 minutes into the game on a goal from Ashley Herndon. The eventual game-winning goal was set up by a pass from Sydney Braun-McLeod, who had the ball off a quick restart. The freshman sent a pass across the field Herndon’s way, who was able to slip it past Badana’s left side.

For a Drexel team that now has just one goal in its last 725 minutes, one goal would be enough to come away with the victory. Braun-McLeod would later add an insurance goal of her own, and the Dragons wasted yet another strong effort from Badana, who made five saves.

Her five saves, though, were matched and exceeded by the Dukes’ Ellen Forrest. The redshirt sophomore recorded her fourth shutout, continuing her strong season. It also would continue Drexel’s losing streak, making it the first time since 2009 that Drexel has dropped four straight games.

Head coach Ray Goon saw the effort still being present, and he chalked it to the team just not catching a break.

“While there are things that we can improve upon from the match, I believe that we played well enough to win,” he said. “The effort and chances were there. We’re just not being rewarded right now, so we’ll just have to keep plugging away at it.”

The Dragons’ scoreless streak is now at 475 minutes, and they are simply unable to get back into the game once they fall behind. Obviously, they haven’t been able to get ahead, either.

Goon knows that his team is not the only one in the soccer world looking for an easier way to score goals. Meanwhile, they will keep trying to generate their shot opportunities and hope for some luck. With the way things have been going, they’re more than due for it.

“If someone created an exact formula to produce goals, they’d be a very, very wealthy person right now,” he said. “But since there is no such thing, we’ll just have to keep on working at creating as many chances as we can each game and hope that the odds start to even out.”

He thinks they’re getting closer and is going off a great baseball player’s philosophy for confirmation.

“Like Babe Ruth said, ‘Each strike brings me closer to the next home run,’” Goon said.

Aside from injuries, the Dragons are trying to find a reason for the struggles, which Goon said have varied. It hasn’t been one chronic flaw or poor way of playing but rather a new thing each game.

“We’ve generated restarts in our attacking third of the field in addition to ones through the run of play,” he explained. “Sometimes the [goalie] makes a great save, sometimes the defenders clear it off the line, sometimes we just miss.”

Now Drexel looks ahead to the final weekend of play at Vidas Field this season. The Dragons will welcome Northeastern University Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. and Hofstra University Oct. 13 at 1 p.m.

The Dragons are currently buried at the bottom of the CAA standings with an 0-3 conference record. They are joined by the College of Charleston, which is also winless. But only two teams, The College of William & Mary and Northeastern, have more than two wins. If the Dragons were to sweep this weekend’s slate of games, they could quickly find themselves in the thick of things.

Goon is aware of his team’s standings, and indicated the importance of picking up six points in the standings this weekend. He said the playoff picture will really start to take its shape after the weekend’s games. That being the case, he expects a battle from both Northeastern and Hofstra.

“With the overall parody in the level of play throughout the conference, I don’t believe anyone is feeling that they have a spot locked up after three games, so every team will definitely still be in full attack mode; nobody will be taking it easy,” he said. “I expect both Northeastern and Hofstra to come in and be ready to battle.”

Sunday’s game will be extra special for a few Dragons. Seniors Andi Stampone, Sam Greenfield (though injured), Christine Stevenson and Jess Sarkisian will all be honored before the game as part of the traditional Senior Day. The weekend’s games will conclude the home schedule at Vidas Field, and Drexel will look to avoid its first losing season at home since 2009.

Regardless of whether it’s at home or on the road, Drexel needs to start stringing wins together. They now get their shot to put everything behind them, have an extended break from action, and get back at it on Friday with four full days of rest.

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[media-credit name=”Ajon Brodie” align=”alignleft” width=”300″] Drexel mid-fielder Jess Sarkisian is a senior leader for head coach Ray Goon. The Dragons have had a tough go of late, falling to 4-7-1 on the season after back-to-back CAA conference losses.

The Drexel’s women’s soccer team took another step back this week, this time to Colonial Athletic Association foes. The Dragons lost to Towson University on the road and at Vidas Field to The College of William & Mary to fall to 4-7-1 on the year in the conference openers.

From the opening kickoff Sept. 29 against the Tigers, everything went wrong for Drexel, and they found themselves in the hole before they could even touch the ball. Katlyn Axenfeld connected with a pass from Emily Banes and directed it right over Dragons goalkeeper Eve Badana to give Towson the early advantage.

The early hole only grew deeper. Less than three minutes later, Banes set up another goal, this time connecting with Katie Ponce. Banes’ pass was an identical one from her first assist, as Ponce beat Badana, receiving the pass from her left.

The Tigers carried a 2-0 lead into the half despite only firing three shots to Drexel’s six. Unable to solve Towson’s Erin Quinn, the Dragons never got back in the game.

Ponce sealed the game for Towson with a goal about 10 minutes into the second half. Of the five shots Towson fired all game, it was one of three goals Badana could not stop. Drexel, by comparison, got off 13 shots and ended up having nothing to show for it.

Offensively, the Dragons remained stalled in their game Oct. 3 against William & Mary, falling 2-0. A goal each from Emory Camper and Anna Madden paced the Tribe to victory.

The team has struggled offensively, failing to score for the fifth time in the last six games. They have a total of two goals in the last eight games. Despite the struggles, head coach Ray Goon said they will not try to change too much offensively.

“I don’t know if we’ll do anything drastically different because we’ve been generating our fair share of opportunities to score every game,” he said. “Colorado College outshoots us 15-7 and we lose 3-0. We outshoot Towson 13-5 and still lose 3-0. It can be a funny and cruel sport sometimes. We’ll tweak a few things here and there, but I don’t think there’s reason to change things radically.”

He did observe that the team had a tendency to get mentally discouraged in the games against La Salle and Towson. That could explain why they struggled so much to get back into those games. As has been the case many times this season, the Dragons fall behind and struggle to pick themselves up and get out of the hole. They are 0-7-1 this season when surrendering the first goal. In only one of those games, the tie to Villanova University, were they actually able to produce a goal after falling behind.

“There were pockets during the game when our level would drop mentally and/or physically, and they made us pay for it,” Goon said. “Whether it’s a legitimate NCAA Tournament-caliber team [like La Salle University] or any of our conference opponents, you can’t let your guard down for long or they’ll make you pay for it.”

A big factor for the struggles has been the injuries. Drexel has been without senior captain Sam Greenfield for all but 112 minutes this season with a broken leg. Overall, 11 different Dragons have missed at least one game this season with an injury. Goon said the injuries definitely have hurt the effort to establish consistency, but he’s not labeling them as an excuse.

“That’s how the season has been framed out for us, and the team continues to search for solutions rather than excuses,” Goon said.

Looking ahead, Drexel now turns its attention to James Madison University. The two teams will square off Oct. 6 at noon at Vidas Field, as Drexel continues its four-game homestand. Goon and the Dragons know they need to win anywhere, but the home-field advantage is something they welcome.

“It certainly doesn’t hurt to have these next few games on our home field, but wherever we play, we’ll still need to work for the entire game,” he said. “Playing in front of our fans will no doubt help us do that.”

There is perhaps some revenge on the line, however. Drexel is the team responsible for keeping JMU out of the playoffs for an 11th straight year last season. The Dragons took down the Dukes with seven seconds left to end their 2012 campaign.

“I don’t think they’ll be congratulating us for doing that on Sunday,” he said. “I expect a battle.”

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[media-credit name=”Ajon Brodie” align=”alignleft” width=”300″] Junior Melissa Chapman pushes the ball up the field during Drexel’s 3-0 loss to Liberty University. Chapman has recorded one assist this season, which happened to be the first of her career. Last season, the defender scored four goals and was named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association First Team.

A season of inconsistency continued for the women’s soccer team, as Drexel split two games in Colorado. The team fell to Colorado College 3-0 Sept. 20 before rebounding to blank the United States Air Force Academy 1-0 Sept. 22.

The weekend got off to as poor of a start as possible, as 100 seconds into action, the Dragons found themselves in an early hole. Kaeli Vandersluis connected across the field with Jessie Ayers to give Colorado the early 1-0 lead. The goal set the tone early for the Tigers, who controlled the ball much of the game; Colorado outshot Drexel 15-7 in the contest.

The Tigers would secure the game in the second half, receiving a goal from Sarah Schweiss on a free kick and another goal from Carina Lauzon. While Colorado scored two goals, Drexel only managed to fire off two shots the entire half.

“We made a couple of mistakes, and they were able to capitalize on them,” head coach Ray Goon said.

Goalkeeper Eve Badana, who was made busy by Colorado’s offensive attack, made a season-high six saves in the game. Badana said the result was not the one they wanted, but it was encouraged by a few things and pointed to things on which the team can improve.

“That match against Colorado College exposed some areas of our game, as a team, that need to be improved,” Badana explained. “I am happy to have learned from it.”

It appeared that the Dragons learned and adjusted something on the day off, playing one of their cleaner games of the season, at least defensively, the following day in a 1-0 win over Air Force. Redshirt freshman Colleen McDonald provided all the offense necessary with her first career goal.

It was the third consecutive pair of games in which Drexel shut out a team in one game and was shut out in the other. Badana recorded her third shutout in the last six games, and 16th in her two-plus year career.

Badana and the team’s play confirmed that the Dragons did in fact learn from the areas Colorado exposed. She said the game was full of solid play from her team and cited hard work defensively as the key to victory.

Goon was impressed with how his team handled and responded to a challenge. The Dragons were playing their second game in 43 hours, while Air Force had been off all weekend. Good thing the Dragons were prepared.

“I said prior to the trip [that] this would be a great opportunity for our team to deal with challenges in preparation for conference play,” Goon said. “I believe that overall we responded well.”

The trip also served as a great opportunity for the team to bond. There were many off-field activities, including sightseeing when not playing, that the team used to grow closer.

“Just like in previous years, the chance to get away and compete with teams in a different area of the country allows our squad to form even stronger bonds due to the adversity,” Badana said.

On Sept. 26, Drexel returned home, and was once again on the other end of the shutout, this time at the hands of La Salle University, 4-0. The talented Explorers, who now boast a record of 8-2, scored early and carried a 1-0 lead into halftime, Kerri Aiken’s goal being the difference.

They would not let Drexel back in the game, shutting the Dragons down, while adding three goals from three different scorers to create the wide margin.

Those experiences may help the Dragons as they enter the most crucial portion of the season. As Goon said, Drexel will now prepare for conference play in the second half of the season. The Dragons begin Colonial Athletic Association games, starting with Towson University, Sept. 29.

Both Goon and players such as Badana seem rather comfortable and pleased with where the team currently stands.

“At the moment, I would say we are where we need to be,” Badana said. “We have had several tough games already this season, some we caught a break, and others we were unlucky as the result wasn’t in our favor.”

Goon pointed to a more challenging schedule than previous years to explain the alternating results through 10 games. For this year, Drexel added three NCAA Tournament teams to the schedule in Rutgers University, Colorado College and La Salle University, as well as Marist College, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference runner-up.

“I think that the quality of these opponents might give the perception that our team hasn’t played consistently, but overall we have played well,” he said. “These games help us focus on the importance of the little things necessary to do well in conference play.”

Badana said she agreed. She views the schedule as a great challenge and has been pleased with the results when facing these tough opponents.

“I think our tough schedule provides a great challenge, and I am happy with our response so far,” she said. “We do, of course, still have things we need to work on, but I remain optimistic and excited about our upcoming conference play.”

Having the entire field of play in front of her, Badana is able to see everything as the goalie, and she is very encouraged by what she sees.

“I am proud of the work rate that the 10 girls in front of me are putting in,” she said. “At any given time during a match, I am confident in the determination and fight of my teammates, and it really is contagious.”

Confidence and determination are two qualities that any team would like to take into the most important stretch of the season. Time will tell whether their confidence will be rewarded against tough opponents, but the team is going into CAA play headfirst.

“This team expects to play well, and they’re not looking for any excuses not to play well,” Goon said.

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[media-credit name=”Ajon Brodie” align=”alignleft” width=”300″] Senior Christine Stevenson dishes the ball to sophomore Civanni Moss during Drexel’s 3-0 loss to Liberty University Sept. 6 at Vidas Field. Moss leads the Dragons with two assists so far this season.

It has been a rocky start to the season for the Drexel women’s soccer team. In games littered with inconsistency, the team has split the first third of its schedule as evenly as possible, opening 3-3-1.

The team got off to a slow start to kick off the season, falling to Rutgers University 1-0 Aug. 23. A second-half goal from the Scarlet Knights’ Madison Tiernan did Drexel in, as goalkeeper Jessica Janosz kept Drexel off the board the entire game. Drexel keeper Eve Badana made two saves to keep it close.

Slow starts are nothing new for the Dragons, as this was the third consecutive year they opened their season by being shut out; two of those three defeats have come at Rutgers.

They would rebound to defeat Marist College 2-1 in their Aug. 26 home opener.

In a thrilling game, Marist’s Samantha Panzer forced what would be two overtimes with her second-half goal with about 10 minutes left to play. Alyssa Findlay gave the Dragons their first win after she scored off a Civanni Moss corner kick with 95 seconds left in the second overtime.

After breaking even in two games, Drexel tied Villanova University Aug. 30 at home. The highlight for Drexel was a goal from Shyanne Kimbrough in her first career game.

“I saw the ball coming, and I put my head down and just drilled it,” Kimbrough said after the game. “Hopefully it’s the first of a lot to come.”

Her 60th-minute goal would be the last of the game. Badana made five saves as the Wildcats outshot the Dragons 13-8.

The tie extended Drexel’s home unbeaten streak to 17 games.

The Dragons then took a one-day break from action at their home field before defeating the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Catonsville, Md., with a score of 3-0. Drexel recorded one goal from Megan Hammaker and two from Kimbrough, who continued the impressive opening to her Drexel career. Badana needed to make just one save to secure the shutout and give the Dragons their first road victory.

Continuing with inconsistency, Drexel was on the other end of a 3-0 shutout Sept. 6 at home against Liberty University, snapping the team’s Vidas Field unbeaten streak — the first loss there since Oct. 30, 2010. The Dragons outshot Liberty 17-7, but that did not translate to goals. Holly Van Noord made six saves to shut out the Dragons.

At this point, the Dragons had outshot their opponents in three straight games by a combined total of 49-17. However, the team was only able to find the back of the net four times in those games, allowing four goals themselves and producing a 1-1-1 record.

“We focus on creating and manufacturing as many scoring chances as we can each game,” head coach Ray Goon said. “Some might say that we’ve been a bit unlucky with our chances so far, but I believe that you create your own luck, so we’ll just have to continue working hard until the ball starts to bounce our way.”

Drexel bounced back and started a new unbeaten streak at Vidas Field, shutting out Longwood University 1-0 Sept. 8. Kimbrough picked up her fourth goal of the season in just five appearances. Badana made three saves for her second shutout.

But once again, Drexel stepped back and was on the other end of their previous victory’s score, blanked 1-0 by the neighboring University of Pennsylvania in double overtime. Kerry Scalora ended the game after nearly 110 minutes of play to send the Quakers to their third victory on the season and run the Dragons’ record to 3-3-1.

Despite the flaky start, Goon was not too disappointed with his squad’s start to the season. There may have been higher expectations coming off their fantastic 2012 season, but he said the performance is just about what he expected because of their youth.

“We’re relatively young after graduating five starters from last year, so we knew there was going to be a learning curve for the new players,” he explained. “Additionally, the returning players needed to be patient early on to give the new players and starters a chance to settle in.”

The challenge of the young players trying to settle in will become even more difficult this weekend. The Dragons will spend the weekend of Sept. 20-22 in Colorado, playing Colorado College Friday and U.S. Air Force Academy Sunday.

“Colorado College is a perennial NCAA Tournament participant, so we expect them to be a very formidable opponent,” Goon said. “This trip will be a great opportunity to prepare for our conference schedule.”

Following the road trip and one more home date with La Salle University, the Dragons begin CAA play. Kickoff against Colorado is set for 4 p.m. MDT.

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[media-credit name=”Ken Chaney” align=”alignleft” width=”300″] Junior midfielder Megan Hammaker dribbles the ball against a University of Delaware player during Drexel’s 1-0 victory over the Blue Hens Oct. 24, 2012, at Vidas Field. Hammaker tallied two goals and one assist last season.

The 2012 season for the women’s soccer team at Drexel was more than just a good year; it was historic. The Dragons shattered their program record for most wins in a season, posting a 13-3-3 mark. Not only did it nearly double their previous high win total, but their second-place finish in the Colonial Athletic Association was six seeds higher than any other season’s end finish.

Now they get the opportunity to top it.

The team gets set to return to the field Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. at Rutgers University. Soon after, they kick off their home schedule Aug. 26 against Marist College at Vidas Field. In the home opener, the Dragons will put a two-year, 15-match home-unbeaten streak on the line.

When they take the field against Rutgers, the Dragons will field a team with nearly a third of its roster missing following last year’s large graduating class of eight seniors. During an interview in May with The Triangle, head coach Ray Goon expressed concern when discussing the loss of leadership and talked about what the team will miss from the group.

“Our biggest loss will be the senior class as a whole,” Goon said. “They exhibited a tremendous amount of leadership on and off the field, and that will be tough to replace.”

The loss of the seniors, plus the previous track record and the fact that they did not leave much room to finish higher than last season, makes the challenge and likelihood of topping it rather daunting. Drexel fans will recall how much of a struggle this was for the 2012-13 men’s basketball team that came in with great expectations for a breakthrough season, only to finish with a 13-18 record.

But the Dragons will hit the field with a hungry attitude. They have been ready for that challenge since losing the shootout in the opening round of the CAA playoffs last fall. They are looking forward to topping every aspect of last season, and Goon could see it immediately after their heartbreaking loss.

“From the moment the game ended last season, I could see it in the returning players’ eyes; they want to be back in the conference playoffs, and they want a championship,” he said.

If last year’s breakout season was for real, then his team has a good chance at making even more of a championship run. They welcome a class of seven new players to the roster and bring back a strong nucleus of veterans.

Although they lost the leadership from the seniors, they are ready to fill those shoes. Sam Greenfield, the captain and leader of the senior class, thinks the team is bringing enough back to be a contender.

“Our seniors have left us with big shoes to fill, which is a challenge,” she said. “That being said, we have a solid group of returning starters back, as well as a group of players that have gained a lot of experience coming off the bench. Together we believe our hard work on and off the field will allow us to fill the holes in which the seniors have left.”

Despite the losses, they have quite a talented team returning. They should feel confident about bringing back their leading goal scorer and point producer in Greenfield, the player who played the most minutes in midfielder Alyssa Findlay, and the goalie who led them to that 13-3-3 record with 10 shutouts in goalkeeper Eve Badana. Along with the talent, Goon said he thinks that confidence from last year’s strong campaign will give the team a boost.

“Obviously there is a level of confidence that carries over from last season because we have a solid nucleus of returning players,” he said.

Greenfield agreed and added that achieving personal and team goals created a confidence around the team, contributing to the returning momentum.

“Coming off last year’s record-setting season, our team definitely has momentum going into this season,” Greenfield said. “In being able to achieve our personal and team goals, it is key for our players to be confident in themselves as well as their teammates. In doing so, I believe this will allow us as a team to be successful this season.”

If the Dragons are to be successful, they are likely to receive some form of contribution from their incoming freshman class. Though it is still early in the year, Goon said that they have fit in well thus far. With that, he has high expectations for them to help his club.

“They have been introduced to the necessary level of play, and the next challenge will be to sustain that level throughout the season,” he said. “They may be the newest members, but they’re part of the team now, so they will be expected to help in any way they can, just like all of our team members.”

As Greenfield pointed out, it is key for the players to be confident in their teammates. Everyone will have to chip in and help achieve the team goals.

One of those goals they set last year came after the team missed out on a playoff berth in 2011’s final match. They vowed to not let 2012 come down to the season’s final match again, and they delivered, securing not just an appearance but a first-round bye in the CAA playoffs.

Greenfield is ready to one-up last season’s goal and the promise to her coach a year ago. She’s even more ready to deliver for her coach once again.

“After last season, we believe that we are a championship-caliber team,” she said. “Our ultimate goal is getting back to the playoffs and making a run at the CAA championship.”

Goon wondered, given their track record, how he could not be excited about the players saying they want a championship. However, he knows it is not going to be easy.

“We have been careful to not take things for granted,” Goon said. “The team worked very hard last season, which enabled us to be prepared for the challenges we faced. The team understands that we will need to be just as prepared this year because it’s a whole new season, plus we are not going to sneak up and surprise any teams this year.”

They are on the radar now and will not be that surprise team, especially when conference play begins Sept. 29 at Towson University.

“For us to be prepared to play to the best of our abilities, we have to play one game at a time, and the rest will take care of itself,” Goon said.

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