Despite an early offensive surge resulting in the first goal of freshman forward Lily Vandergrif's career, the Archers fell 4-1 to MCC-Blue River in the team's final home game of the season.
STLCC maintained pressure in the offensive third of the field throughout much of the opening half of the game, a departure from the team's early-season struggles, and an encouraging sign for head coach Erin Hesselbach.
"We've got to find a way to keep the intensity up and play a whole half," Hesselbach said. "We've been trying to push offensive pressure, and we've been working on it. Right now, it's almost like a preseason game where we get to regroup, get our legs back underneath us, and focus on some things we haven't been able to talk about during the season."
The loss affirmed the Archers as the third seed of the upcoming four-team Region XVI Tournament. The Archers will be facing second-seeded Blue River once again in the first round of the tournament, on Oct. 31. With Tuesday's game already in the rear-view mirror and just two regular season games remaining, Hesselbach said the focus from here on out will be squarely on the Archers' impending rematch with Blue River.
"Every time we step on the field now, it is in preparation for this team. No game really matters at this point until the postseason. That's the team and the game we have to prepare for now. We know what they're like, they now know what they're like, and we're going to focus on what we need to take care of."
Corner Kicks
Tuesday's game, played at the Lou Fusz Soccer Complex in Maryland Heights due to wet conditions on the STLCC-Meramec campus field, also served as the Archers' breast cancer awareness game. Players wore pink socks and wristbands to increase awareness and raise money toward breast cancer research.