Opening Game Loss Motivates Purchase Women’s Soccer Team to Look Ahead

By Lena Flamm

The Purchase Panthers (left) and Pratt Cannoneers (right) stand for the National Anthem (Photo by Marin Tyree)

This week, the evening sky darkened over the Purchase soccer field as families, friends, and fans gathered in the bleachers to watch the Purchase Panthers women's soccer opening game against the Pratt Institute Cannoneers, in which the Panthers fell 4-0.

The moment the crowd sat after the national anthem, the raucous cheering and buzzing energy spread like wildfire. As the whistle was blown and the game commenced, no one cheered louder than Micharey Almanzar, the sister of defensive player Elyza Colon, a junior. 

She explained that she'd been coming to her soccer games since her little sister was 11, and when asked if she had always been shouting rallying cries from the sidelines, Almanzar said, "That's all I know." With a laugh, she claimed, "She acts all cool girl, and like it's embarrassing, but I know at heart, she appreciates it."

Pratt defender Lina Darcy in action (Photo by Marin Tyree)

The game kicked off with urgency, with Pratt making three shots on goal in the first three minutes, all deftly deflected by Panthers goaltender Carolyn Hough. Pratt's defense matched the aggression, not allowing the ball to get anywhere near their net for a good portion of the first half. A star on Pratt's defense was freshman Lina Darcy, who at just five feet was zipping through players at lightning speed, foiling attempts to move the ball toward the Cannoneers' net and bringing it back to her forwards. But defense came to play on the Panthers' side as well. When a Pratt player spotted an opening to take a fourth shot on goal while the net was unprotected primarily, freshman midfielder Ariella Pabon knocked her down with an agile sweep.

Standing over on the sidelines, George Reid, Pabon's RA. Both Pabon and freshman forward Lilah Hall were his residents at Wayback, and he had come to support them at their first-ever Purchase game. While he said it was also his first time at a Purchase soccer game, he was enthralled and couldn't have been more proud of the freshman he took under his wing. "I'm like, very much analyzing each teammate on both teams, wondering what's gonna happen next."

Midfielder Ariella Pabon is all steely determination. (Photo by Marin Tyree)

After almost half an hour of intense back-and-forth, Pratt scored a goal. It did nothing to tamp down the school spirit in the bleachers, and students were cheering and chanting for the Panthers to keep their heads in the game. When Pratt's Esme Falk broke free from the scramble and attempted a goal from midfield, the crowd was on the edge of their seats, and erupted when Hough caught the ball head-on.

The Panthers get their heads in the game (Photo by Marin Tyree)

Going into the second half after a quick intermission, Panthers fans still believed anything was possible; however, the energy had changed for the team itself. They had visibly less urgency, causing more openings for the Cannoneers' offense. Pratt forward Kate Nolan, a senior from Australia, was all over the ball, dodging defense and passing to her teammates, causing Pratt to score two more goals in the first 20 minutes of the second half. While certain Panthers defensive players like junior Angela Holness were still making some critical plays like throwing themselves over the ball during attempts on goal, the team's energy was growing tense and weary as they raced against the clock, attempting to even the score.

When Pratt scored their fourth goal in the last five minutes, the energy in the bleachers was finally starting to deflate. But while the game came to a close, it was obvious that the fans, players, or coach were nowhere near giving up hope for the season. Head coach Hardeepak "Nick" Malvai already knew what to fix moving forward, saying, "They need to have a collective mindset of winning the ball, so they can counterattack. Right now, we're not connecting the ball to the forwards to give them an opportunity to do anything they can. We didn't take many shots on goal, but I think that we'll continue to change and improve with every practice and game."

As the bleachers cleared out and Purchase students and families headed back into the night, the loss did not dull the smiling, chatting, and laughing. If there was anything made obvious by the game, it was that a Panthers fan always shows up for their team, and a temporary low would not deter them from showing up again.