A historic season for Alma College Women's Soccer came to an end on a very chilly Friday evening in suburban Chicago. The Scots, playing in their first-ever NCAA Tournament match, dropped a hard-fought 1-0 decision to Capital (Ohio). With the loss, played at host Wheaton College (Ill.), Alma concluded their 2011 season with a final record of 18-4-1.

Both teams wanted to start strong and both were successful, as they each carried a segment of play early on in the match. However, it was the Crusaders that struck first when the Scots could not clear the ball out of the zone after a period of play. Natalie Fiorelli scored from 10 yards past Alma Fr. GK Morgan Waier (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc), assisted by Kaylee Phillips for a 1-0 Capital lead.

In the second half, Alma by far had the better scoring chances, but just could not get it past Capital GK Maggie Donnellan, who finished with eight saves on the evening. For the half, the Scots outshot the Crusaders by a margin of 8-1, including 5-1 in shots on goal.

Statistically, the Scots were led by Sr. M/F Carly Reising (Otsego, Mich./Otsego), who had five total shots, with three on goal versus the Crusaders. Sr. M Becky Marton (Williamston, Mich./Williamston) added two shots total, with one finding the goalkeeper. Four other Alma players had shots on goal, but to no avail on this evening.

For Alma in 2011, under the tutelage of Hosler finishing his sixth season, the campaign marked the fourth consecutive season in which the program finished among the top three teams in the league. In addition, the 18 victories for the Scots