The Waynesburg University women’s soccer team concluded its season this past Saturday on senior day, hosting Presidents’ Athletic Conference rival Washington & Jefferson (W&J). In the last game of the regular season, the Jackets fell to the Presidents, 1-0.

Head coach Laura Heethuis felt the team was not ready for the physical play of the Presidents’ (9-7-2, 6-2) and could’ve been more in tune with each other.

“I thought we came out soft and weren’t ready for the physical battle that they were going to bring,” Heethuis said. “I don’t think we did a great job playing together as a team and we weren’t on the same page on the day. We didn’t create enough in the attack either to threaten and relieve pressure from our end.”

After the two teams went into halftime tied, W&J’s Brianna Floryshak scored the game’s only goal in the 58th minute. Waynesburg (7-2, 3-5) would battle for the remainder of the contest, but was unable to find the back of the net. The Presidents’ outshot the Jackets 19-10, but that was the lone goal for the PAC opponent.

Waynesburg managed to put five of their 10 total shots on goal. Five different Jackets had a shot on frame on the afternoon.

Junior goalkeeper Courtney Syfert, who has now completed her final season as a Yellow Jacket soccer player because she is graduating a year early, believes it was a tough task for the seniors in their final game as Jackets, though the season did have some peaks.

“Playing W&J on senior night was bittersweet,” Syfert said. “I just wanted to come out of that game with a win for my last game, to have a winning record and to leave it all out on our home field. Unfortunately, we came up short, but I was proud of the team for everything we’ve accomplished this season.”

Syfert also mentioned that she can only thank God for giving her the opportunity to play the sport she loves. She is thankful that her athletic career isn’t done yet due to the fact that she also plays softball in the spring for the Yellow Jackets.

Not only are the Yellow Jackets losing Syfert in net, but the team will also lose the senior leadership in midfielder Hannah Roth, defender McKenzie Shaffer and midfielder Natalie Fortna.

“We had a lot of depth on the field this year and had many different players providing great minutes,” Heethuis said.

The Jackets finished the season seventh out of 10 teams in the conference and fell short of an opportunity to participate in the PAC tournament. Next season, assuming they all return, the Jackets will have six seniors to lead the way, along with a plethora of juniors and sophomores.

“We also had a number of freshmen step up and play new roles which is a good sign for the future,” Heethuis said.

Waynesburg University finishes the season fifth in the PAC standings, missing the playoffs by one spot.