Dukes drop home tournament final to URI

Amy Paterson / photo editor Red-shirt senior midfielder Christy Metzker battles for the ball during the Dukes 2-0 loss to URI Monday.

After a streak of sunny days and victories for the women’s soccer team, a drizzly and gloomy Monday brought the Dukes a 2-0 loss to the University of Rhode Island Rams in the final of JMU/Comfort Inn Invitational Tournament.

After a 2-1 victory over the University of Alabama Saturday, the Dukes came into their matchup against URI looking to win the tournament as the host team. Weather conditions, however, made their main offensive tactic of streaking down the sides and sending low crosses into the middle of the field ineffective, sophomore forward Sarah Cebulski said.

"We wanted to keep it on the ground," Cebulski said. "But the ball was so fast on the ground that it was hard to get a good cross."

Red-shirt senior defender Byrant Karpinski said, "We didn’t want to change our game plan. [But in the rain] you’ve got to watch the ball skipping."

Under a light mist, the Dukes put together a few scoring chances early. Cebulski struck the right post from 18 yards out and junior forward Kim Argy placed a number of crosses, but the Dukes’ first half efforts were fruitless.

As the weather conditions deteriorated in the second half, so did the Dukes’ results on the field.

Junior goalkeeper Jessica Hussey, who kept the Dukes in the game with a one-on-one save in the first half, allowed a rain-slicked ball to slip through her hands and trickle into the net in the second half to give the Rams a 1-0 lead.

While the Dukes pressed to find the equalizing goal, URI seized the game with a quick counterattack. Finding herself in a second one-on-one situation, Hussey’s diving attempt could not keep the ball out of the net. The Rams led 2-0 and were on their way to victory.

For the first time this season, neither Cebulski nor Argy were able to tally a point. "Everybody was out of position dealing with the rain," Cebulski said.

The slick conditions made it tough for Cebulski to connect with Argy. "When dealing with these conditions, everyone has to focus more on their own game," Cebulski said.

Despite falling to Rhode Island, the Dukes (3-1-0) remain optimistic.

"Last year started off bad," Cebulski said. "Today we were just caught up in the [three-game winning] streak."

Karpsinki agreed.

"We played slow in the warm-ups and that lead right into the game," Karpinski said. "Team morale is still really high. We didn’t bring the A-game today, but we’re going to put this one behind us."

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