As the Blackburn women’s soccer team took to the pitch for their first first home match of the 2017 season on Sept. 7, fans took to the bleachers to see what this team was all about. With Sohaila Akhavein preparing for her first home match as the team’s head coach, they had all already faced a major problem – numbers.
Before the semester began, the Beavers found themselves down in numbers as multiple recruits decided on other schools and without a coach until late into the spring semester, Akhavein did not have adequate time for further recruiting. Unfortunately, for BC, their situation only seemed to worsen as the game went on.
As the non-conference match against Monmouth College began, Blackburn struggled with their communication and defensive shifts and narrowly avoided disaster as they scrambled to defend six shots – one on goal – within the first nine minutes. Unfortunately for the Beavers, their backs-against-the-wall play caught up with them and they were unable to stop the continuously building momentum of their opposition.
As Blackburn entered halftime they found themselves down 4-0, with few scoring chances. Statistically, the second half was the better half for the Beavers but offensive possession remained a struggle and shots on goal were few and far between.
The BC defense seemed to figure things out as the game went on but when junior defensive player Adrianna Darrow went down, those watching could see the energy drain from the Beavers. Darrow was helped off by athletic training staff with a lower leg injury.
The final score was 6-0, with sophomore Maya March leading the Beavers with six shots, two on goal. Their next home contest is Sept. 22 in a non-conference contest against Mount Mary.