Even the most experienced navigator would have trouble monitoring the peaks and valleys of the 1988 Mary Washington women's soccer season. The Eagles opened their trek with an imposing roadblock in William and Mary, one of the top five teams in Division I. The Tribe prevailed, but only by a 4-1 count, and the road seemed clear for smoother sailing. A pair of easy shutout wins over Randolph-Macon Woman's College (12-0) and Rochester Institute of Technology (5-0/first round of Hartwick Tournament) followed, setting the stage for another roadblock in nationally ranked Hartwick. But the inspired hosts blanked the Eagles, 3-0, causing a setback in the journey.
Mary Washington responded with four straight victories, including a 2-1 win over Marymount, which would eventually crack the NCAA Division III top 20. Sophomore Ronni Pile (Annandale, Va.) would pace the offense in the middle, while goaltender Diane DeFalco (So./Springfield, Va.) was yet another gem in the MWC net, replacing All-American performer Debbie Eicher and earning All-America honors in her own right. Pile would eventually lead the Eagles with 13 goals and 12 assists, while DeFalco would register 10 shutouts (nine of them victories), as both players joined Brenda Nix (Sr./Manassas, Va.) on the All-Region team.
But the toughest part of the schedule loomed ahead; and following a 1-1 tie at Roanoke, MWC dropped a trio of losses - all shutouts - to Division I teams Rutgers, Villanova and Duke in the Washington Area Girls' Soccer Tournament at Fort Belvoir, Va. At 6-5-1 a strong finish was essential for postseason hopes. And the road would be tougher because of injury as, at one time, five starters were nursing leg injuries, including freshman Erin Patrick (Arlington, Va.), who had seven goals in the opening few weeks of the season.
MWC then reeled off three straight shutout wins and found a new high-powered forward in freshman Debbie Griesse (Annandale, Va.), who tallied five goals in a 12-0 win over Liberty. Griesse finished the season with 11 goals. The other wins, 3-0 at Gettysburg and 4-0 at Western Maryland, were among the team's most impressive performances of the season.
The two key matchups would come in the following week, and these games likely determined the postseason fate of the Eagles. MWC lost to Methodist, one of the nation's top 10 teams in Division III, 3-0. Then, following a 3-0 home win over St. Mary's, Mary Washington played one of its most emotional games of the season at N.C. Wesleyan. Despite outshooting the Battling Bishops, the teams battled to a tie, and Wesleyan was awarded a bid to the NCAA Tournament. MWC, meanwhile, accepted an invitation to the ECAC Tournament.
Mary Washington made the long trip to Geneseo, N.Y., in hopes of avenging a first-round loss in last year's ECACs to Franklin & Marshall. Despite outshooting the hosts, 14-9, the Eagles fell to the Lady Knights, 2-1, as Kristy Shertz's 30-yard shot with 18 minutes left provided MWC's lone score. Still, the season was a success for Coach Ginnegar and his Eagles, in their third season of existence at Mary Washington. Four of the seven losses came from Division I teams. And Ginnegar loses just one senior, albeit a good one in fullback Brenda Nix. But the program should prosper with the development of the younger players, coupled with the influx of talented recruits.