The women's soccer team came out Saturday against strong NCAC opponent Ohio Wesleyan (7-3-2, 2-0 NCAC), but came up just short with a 1-0 loss.
The Tigers held possession throughout the game, but it was Ohio Wesleyan's Belle Madison who put the game winner in the back of the net with just 15 seconds remaining in regulation. The Tigers outshot the Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan 15-7 and held the edge in corner kicks 5-1.
Head Coach John Carter was very pleased with the girls play, but was a little disappointed with the end result.
"I feel bad for the girls because they deserved to win that game," Carter said. "We played well, we fought hard and you can't question lack of effort or commitment after that performance. We outplayed them the entire game and we just couldn't put away our chances."
DePauw kept possession, and hit the cross bar and the post multiple times. It seemed as though the ball just did not want to go into the net for the Tigers on Saturday.
"We knocked the ball around a lot and were a very attractive team to watch," Carter said. "We had Ohio Wesleyan chasing us most of the game and we just didn't score, and they ended up scoring in the last 15 seconds to win it."
DePauw played a good defense, only gaving up three shots on goal to Ohio Wesleyan all match, with one of those finding the back of the net. Senior Lauren Hannan was pleased with the play of the team Saturday.
"Offensively we had so many chances, and we hit the cross bar quite a few times," Hannan said. "We played great on the defensive side of the ball we just need to be able to score goals."
A struggling offense is something the team has been dealing with for quite some time now. The team has only scored one goal in its last four games but is looking to bounce back.
"In practice we are really focused on scoring goals, so we are challenging our forwards and midfielders to want it," Hannan said. "We need crash the box and get numbers forward. We need to be able to reproduce what we've done in practice and use that against other teams."
The team sits at 4-8 (2-2 NCAC) and is looking to rebound out of this four game losing streak.
"We are 4-8 on the season but we are a much better team than that," Carter said. "We have been playing at a level to win these last few games, but we need to find a way to score and clinch that win. When we find that next win I think it will spring board us and get a little run going."
The Tigers next match is Saturday at NCAC opponent College of Wooster (6-5-1, 1-1-1 NCAC) starting at 1 p.m. Sitting in the middle of the conference at fifth, the Tigers can immediately jump up in the standing with a win against Wooster.