DePaul University
Providence
Blue Demons Fall 1-0 to Providence in Season Finale
11/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S SOCCER
CHICAGO - It wasn't supposed to end like this, not at Wish Field in the first round of the BIG EAST Championship playoffs.
The season was supposed to extend well into the weekend and maybe even to next week. Instead, it all came to an abrupt end when DePaul lost 1-0 to Providence on a backwards shot from Kathryn Hiller into the upper left of the Blue Demon net in the 80th minute.
Providence (13-7-0) advances to the BIG EAST Semifinals to face Georgetown (11-5-2) on Friday in Omaha, Neb.
That the season-ending goal came off a set piece was not a surprise to DePaul coach Erin Chastain. She said that defending free kicks and corner kicks have been the Achilles heel of her team all season.
"It's always tough to lose," said senior Elise Wyatt who finishes her career as the all-time leading goal scorer in school history with 35. "We gave it our absolute all and were all over them in the second half. It really hurts to take a goal like that.
"This team made a good run, but at the end of the day, Providence came out on top. We couldn't put the ball away, and their goalkeeper made some very good saves."
One of DePaul's best chances came when Alexa Ben's header early in the game went just over the crossbar. Another time, Taylor Schissler unleashed a booming 30-foot shot that was headed to the upper right when keeper Kristyn Shea extended every inch of her 5-foot, 9-inch frame and deflected it at the last moment.
"It was disappointing for us and especially for the seniors," said Franny Cerny who was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year before the game. "We had some really good chances to score and just couldn't finish them off.
"Next year, we have to remember this loss and how we feel right now. It will motivate us to work even harder."
DePaul (12-4-4) outshot Providence 12-7 and had eight shots on goal to five for the Friars. The game was all-too-similar to the Blue Demons' 2-0 loss nearly two weeks ago in Rhode Island when Shea made 12 saves.
"Give credit to Providence who didn't have many good chances to score but came up with a very good goal," Chastain said. "Set pieces have hurt us in the past when we didn't have the discipline it takes in those moments.
"It's tough to beat a team twice in the same season, but that's what they did. There is a certain spirit about their team and the belief they have that reminds me of our team last year.
"I feel for our seniors who have made some tremendous accomplishments for our program and broken records every year. Elise Wyatt, Alex Godinez, Brianna Ryce and Sarah Gorden have set the bar really high and set the standard for leaving it all on the field."
An emotional Wyatt wasn't ready to move on.
"It's been an unbelievable, beautiful ride," Wyatt said. "All my teammates have helped me grow as an individual, and the coaches have shaped me into the person I am today.
"It's hard to say good-bye to such a beautiful thing."
NOTES: Wyatt led the team with 12 goals and five assists for 29 points... the 12 goals tied the school's single-season record also shared by Julianne Sitch in 2003 and Abby Reed in 2014... Cerny was second with six goals and five assists for 17 points... Ben (four goals, seven assists), Reed (five goals, five assists) and freshman Madeline Frick (four goals, seven assists) each had 15 points... Lucy Edwards, Ana Greik and Jessie Schmidt had two goals apiece... Godinez set a single-season record for lowest goals-against average when she walked off Wish Field with a 0.65 figure... she owns the second-best mark of 0.69 recorded in 2013... Godinez also has the career record for GAA... the Blue Demons outscored their opponents 40-13 on the season with a 115-35 margin in points... they outshot teams 292-129 and had a 146-57 advantage in shots on goal.
