Unofficial Sagehen Women's Soccer Homepage (to be updated later)

The Sagehen season is underway!  With victories in a scrimmage against Carleton and in preseason games against Principia and Oshkosh, the season begins.  Follow the button below for game pics as they come in.

Two of the Hens major rivals, CMS and Redlands played Friday, Sep 7--Redlands tied nationally ranked Santa Cruz while CMS fell 2-1 to a very strong Cal State East Bay.  The CMS-East Bay game featured the long ball with both teams lofting balls into the corner and sending their forwards off to the races.  This contrasts strongly with the emerging Sagehen possession style of game.  The Hens keep the ball on the ground while early in the season, at least, the Athenas seem to prefer the aerial game. The Sagehens are stronger and deeper this year, but their rivals seem improved also.  CMS is carrying a roster of 30 players with only two seniors.  Pomona-Pitzer with 26 players is also loaded with younger players, so the intensity of the Sagehen-Athena rivalry won't go away soon.

Alas, in their third game the Hens fall to a determined Haverford.  The two teams played even through the first half but about ten minutes into the second half, the Fords scored on a set play from the left side and thirty yards out.  Catch all the grim details in a set of game pics by following the button above.

Game 4, SCIAC opener an away game against Cal Lu.  The first half was a fluid, up-and-down the field affair with both teams threatening.  In the 42nd minute of the first half, Cal Lu scored on a free kickfrom the right side five yards out of the box.  Cal Lu led going into the half 1-0.  In the 16th minute of the second half, Eli Seo dribbled by two defenders into the box and scored on a hard shot that slipped though the keepers hands.  In the 34th minute Seo scored again as the keeper came out to challenge Eli at the top of the box on the right side and Eli popped it over the keepers head rolling it into the net.  Five minutes later, Cal Lu evned it up on a second free kick this time a cross from the left side between the box and the sideline that landed in front of the net and was popped in.  The game stayed intense and almost was won by the Hens in the last few seconds of the second half.  The Cal Lu keeper dropped the ball on a punt out of the box and Katie Kerr got her foot on the fumble just after the clock expired.  Two hard fought overtime periods failed to show a goal for either team and the game ended in a tie.

Game 5 against arch-rival CMS was the usual close intense contest.  CMS scored first on a cross in the fourth minute of the first half.  The Sagehens evened it up on a set play from the right side in the fifth minute.  Julia Carr placed a great ball into the box and Kimber Lopez put an even better head on it landing it in the upper right corner of the net.  In the 25th minute of the second half CMS played a similar ball on a set play that was not cleared well and was put into the net after pinballing around the box between players.  Pomona-Pitzer redoubled its pressure knocking on the door several times in the remaining time but to no avail.  CMS 2, P-P 1.  (Some pregame pics but--I just couldn't take my eyes off the game.  Like always, fans were in abundance and vocal adding to the intensity of the contest).

Game 6: There is no joy in Mudville folks.  In the 20th minute Oxy brought the ball down the right side, crossed it from the 5 yards line in punched it in on a nice combination.  A mere three minutes later, again from the right side, an Oxy player juked right left, got open and slammed it in with the left foot.  The Hens once again put up a huge fight but having placed themselves in a hole, Oxy played most of the rest of the game with nine players behind the ball.  The Hens switched goalies at half and played deep into their bench.  Lots of players pounded the ball hard.  Angie Martinez got ahead of the defense in the second half with the Hen's best chance, but the ball was hit wide left.  Laura Terry Green hit a high fly ball that looked for a while like it might settle in the net, but it ended up high and wide.  Everyone played hard and take nothing away from Oxy:  they were fast, and they were organized.  So there are five solid teams in the SCIAC this year with P-P needing to prove they belong in this group.  Pics later after I go drown my sorrows....OK folks: sorrow drowned--some nice pics posted--maybe your daughter.  I like Katherine DeJong's header.  Random luck with these pics--oldest slowest camera on the market.  Saving my money for hearing aids and other accoutrements of geezerdom.  (Also am publishing a handful of CMS pics, mostly pregame because I lost it once the game started.)

Game 9:  Boy!  What a game!  On the rug at Chapman, on a perfect morning for soccer, the Hens came out firing, and the Panthers came out matching the Hens' intensity.  The first half was like two heavy-weight fighters throwing everything they had at each other in the early rounds.  Both teams threatened, with Chapman's best chance on a break away that brought the Hens' keeper, Caroline Flynn out of the box, just beating the Chapman player to the ball and booting it away. Chapman's hopes were high.  Their player sheet stated:  "The Panthers are unbeaten in their last four at home and hope to feed off some of the momentum from Wednesday's 8-0 win over Whittier."  Five minutes into the second half, it looked like they would do just that.  On a corner kick that landed in the scrum, P-P's keeper twice beat back hard kicks on net only to see the third kick pass to her right and into the net.  But just three minutes later, on an assist from Kira Watson, Jenny Medvene-Collins scored from the right side to even matters and dowse Chapman's momentum.  Still the game remained close and looked like it was going for overtime when with three minutes left in regulation, on an assist from Eli Seo, sophomore transfer Katie Kerr slammed it past the Chapman keeper for the lead and the win.  Katie's proud father, Mike, was in the stands taking high fives from all the Pomona and Pitzer parents on his daughter's first goal in a Hens uniform.  The Chapman field is a cavernous football venue and the Hens parents (Mike Kerr (Katie), Hester Carr (Julia and Hannah), Jean Reagan-Peter Philips (Jane Philips) plus Caroline Flynn's parents made the stadium rock almost to the levels of a USC game (almost).  So now it's the Hens' turn to talk about momentum--Redlands (who fell to CMS today) comes to the Hens' pitch next Wednesday.  We will see.  (Pictures to come.)

Game 10:  SIGH!  In the 18th minute, the Bulldogs slipped past the Hens back line, the keeper came out but to no avail. One-zip Redlands.  In about the 20th minute of the second half a deep throw-in from the right side caromed around the scrum, rebounded out of the box but came back in for the score.  Two-nil Redlands.  The Hens had their chances.  Two shots towards the upper right just slid over the frame in the first half along with a ground shot that was just wide right.  Second half, the Hens possessed but did not score.  The Bird's back is to the wall folks.  A playoff birth is at stake.  Cal Lu on Saturday is a MUST WIN.  The good news is that the team has been in the game in each loss.  So far P-P is losing to the teams above them but not getting beaten by them.  Luck and pluck is the recipe for recovery.   But room for error is rapidly disappearing.  Go Hens!  (We got pics of this game and the last game--gotta get the time to post).  First, hafta go drown a head full of sorrow.  Body bags at 10.  Go Hens!

Game 11: Ca Lu 1  Pomona-Pitzer 2!  Both keepers for the Hens came big!  BIG!  Even in the last 15 seconds of the game.  More later with pics.

The Game--The Hens came out focused and intense in a must win game.  They dominated possession, threatened and eventually scored from the right corner of the box in about the 20th minute as Eli Seo faked right, cut left and then with her right foot put the ball in the upper left corner of the net.  Great shot.  A mere two minutes later, a Cal Lu player put her head on a corner kick firing high and hard towards the net but keeper Caroline Flynn popped the ball up and over  the net for a crucial save.  Second half, P-P still dominating possession.  Free kick from the right side set in play by Chelsea Muir sails high towards the far post, Eli Seo leaps but can't get a head on it only for the ball to float just a little further where Jenny Medvine Collins streaking in from the left puts a head on it and slams it into the net.  2-0 Hens.  But just two minutes later, on a corner with the ball in the scrum, bodies collide, no call, Ca Lu makes it 2-1.  Twenty minutes to go.  The Pomona Pitzer domination of the ball evaporates as  Ca Lu finds life.  But the Hen ain't dead either.  Both sides threaten.  Both sides shoot.  Hen keeper Kelsyn Bevins has three tough saves on goal.  Angie Martinez breaks free at the other end with only the keeper between her and the goal, but the Cal Lu defender grabs Angie from behind.  Yellow card.  Free kick.  No score.  Coach Scanlon stomps the sideline furious that it wasn't a red.  Last minute.  Fifteen seconds.  Keeper Bevins clasps the last Ca Lu shot on goal.  Holds on and as they say in basketball, dribbles out the clock.  Great game.  Lots of players stepped up.  Gotta do it again though.  CMS on Wednesday.  Go Hens!zx

Game 12:  Under the lights at CMS.  Big boisterous crowd.  Alas!  CMS 2, P-P 1. 

This should have been the Hen's game, folks, and it looked like it was going to be too.  The Hen's came out and took possession of the ball.  CMS was forced into occasional counters none of which looked very dangerous.  At around the twenty minute mark, on a free kick from around the 30 yard line, lofted by Chelsea Muir, the ball came off the cross bar and was promptly headed in by Angela Martinez.  Good shot Angie!  But the setback seemed to give CMS life.  Two minutes later, keeper Kelsyn Bevins came out and came up big stopping a CMS breakaway.  But two minutes after that, CMS scored to even the game.  Second half, fourth minute, CMS scores again.  Now this setback seemed to ignite the Hens.  Time and time and time and time again they threatened.   The Hen forwards were very dangerous with lots of hard shots on goal or barely above goal or just off to the side.  These weren't rollers.  They had plenty of punch and were very dangerous.  The backs came up and powered promising shots from far out.  The center-mids had their chances.  The wings took shots.  Credit CMS' keeper defense.  Lots of tough saves.  This really could of, should of, would of been P-P's game, but it just wasn't their day.  The Hens fall out of fourth place at this juncture.  Ca Lu beat Whittier today 3-0.  It's going to be nip and tuck for the fourth spot in the playoffs.  If the Bird can only get there, she can play more than a spoiler roll.  Again, she loses but isn't beaten.   Oxy is next at their place. Need a win.   Gotta start beating the teams ahead of the blue and orange.  Go Hens!  (No pics today--who could look through a viewfinder during a game like this?)

Game 13: Under cloudy skies on the artificial turf at Oxy.  Small crowd--big heart.

The Hens played this game like the MUST WIN game that it was.  The first 15 minutes were played mostly in the midfield with both teams slugging it out.  The tide shifted a little towards Oxy but not much.  Then the Hens discovered the Tigers' weakness.  In their defensive third, Oxy was pulling their midfielders behind the 20 yard line to stop the though pass.  Pomona-Pitzer started cracking the ball from 20 to 30 yards out over the sagging defense.  Kira had a shot.  Lilly punched one.  Others did too.  At 8 minutes left, Erin hit one from the 30 yard line right that sailed perfectly past the outstretched arms of the keeper into the net.  Hens 1, Tigers 0.  That was the half-time score.  Towards the end of the first half, Jenny was hurt.  She tried to start the second half but came out in the first minute.  Now that the Bird had the Tigers' number all the action was down in the P-P offensive third.  Ten minutes in, Heather crossed from the left a perfect ball to the far post, both Angie and Hannah converged and the ball popped into the net from 5 feet out.  Ten minutes later, on a corner from the left, Eli lofted a curving ball that the keeper had to back up and reach for  to snag.  Keeper caught it behind the plane of the net--3-0 Sagehens.  Pomona-Pitzer also had a score called back in the 12th minute on a close off-sides call.  With 8 minutes left, Oxy split the  defenders and got a clean shot on goal.  3-1 Hens.  The last minutes of the game were intense as Oxy scrambled to score and Pomona-Pitzer counter-attacked.  Jane knocked one off the cross bar.  Other Hens threatened.  In the end, what needed to be done was done.  The Hens beat the team in front of them.  Unfortunately, the Hens are not the masters of their own fate.  Cal Lu played out of league today and remains a half game ahead of the Hens.  Whittier on Wednesday.  Can't take anything for granted now.  Have to win serve in the upcoming games and hope Cal Lu cannot beat the teams ahead of her.