First-year midfielder Jamie Hofstetter has played an integral role in the women’s soccer team’s postseason run so far. Hofstetter has found the back of the net in every playoff game this year, scoring several critical goals. Though she scored just twice in the 14-game regular season, Hofstetter has scored five goals in only seven shots in the NESCAC tournament.
Especially notable was Hofstetter’s performance in the team’s NESCAC quarterfinal match against Hamilton. She scored a hat-trick against the Continentals, tying with only three other players for the NESCAC record for most goals in a playoff game.
She continued her stellar play against Amherst in the NESCAC semifinals, scoring a penalty kick when the team was down 3-1. Soon after, the Polar Bears capitalized on their momentum and leveled the score in the 73rd minute.
In the championship match versus Williams, Hofstetter notched yet another score to tie the game 1-1. The Polar Bears hung on for the rest of regulation and two overtime periods, but ultimately lost to the Ephs 3-0 in a penalty shootout.
Only a first year, Hofstetter now leads the team in scoring, and has proved herself instrumental to the team’s success in the postseason so far.
“I didn’t want to see our season end, because I love this team so much,” Hofstetter said. “If we hadn’t scored, it would all be over”.
Hofstetter attributes her success to years of hard work and commitment on the field.
“I started playing when I was five years old, and although I’ve tried other sports, I’ve been working really hard the past six or seven years to improve my game,” she said.
Her record-tying performances have not gone unnoticed by her teammates.
“Jamie has had an incredible season this year, and has been a big factor in our success so far,” said captain Casey Blossom ’13. “She definitely steps up for us when the stakes are high, and has the opportunity to improve throughout her time here, which will only make her presence bigger on the field.”
Her peers also remark on her overall attitude, complementing Hofstetter on her personality and dedication to the team’s success on the field.
“Jamie has a great personality; she’s really funny, and is a supportive teammate off the field. She’s just a really nice human, in general,” said Audrey Phillips ’16.
The Polar Bears will travel to Ithaca this weekend to play Scranton for the first round of the NCAA tournament. Hofstetter says she is optimistic about the team’s chances as the postseason moves on.
“I don’t know much about Scranton, but we need to work as a team to take them on; we can’t play as individuals,” she said. “This team has really come together in the last few weeks, and we’ve beat nationally ranked teams. If we play our best, we can go as far as we want.”