EDWARDSVILLE, Pa. – The Manhattanville College women's soccer team closed out the 2016 season on Saturday evening, falling to host Wilkes University by a 1-0 score in MAC Freedom action at Schmidt Stadium.
 
Like many matches this season – including each of the year's final four contests – Saturday's game was a defensive struggle that was decided by a single goal. Manhattanville (4-11-1, 1-6-0 MAC Freedom) played solidly on the defensive end but could not get the right combinations up front, as the Lady Colonels (7-10-0, 5-2-0 MAC Freedom) managed to sneak out a victory.
 
The Valiants caught a break in the 35th minute when a shot from Ema Sabovic caromed off the crossbar and out, helping to keep the match tied after 45 minutes. Wilkes held a 7-4 edge in total shots at the half, with senior Dolores Diemicke (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) making four saves to keep the match level.
 
Wilkes struck for the first and only goal of the match in the 52nd minute, when Dianna Connor took a pass from Emily Sutton and played a ball under the crossbar from 20 yards out for her fifth goal of the season.
 
Manhattanville mounted some late pressure in the hopes of an equalizer and took six corner kicks to Wilkes' none in the second half, but the visitors could not find the game-tying goal. Diemicke finished the game with nine saves, as Wilkes held a 16-11 edge in total shots.
 
Diemicke finishes her four-year career with her name all over the Valiant goalkeeping record books. She ends up third in career games played by a keeper (69), fourth in saves (496), fifth in shutouts (eight), wins (15) and goals against average (2.05), as well as seventh in save percentage (.789) and saves per game (7.19).
 
Saturday's match is the final contest in the collegiate career of Manhattanville's five seniors: Diemicke, Melissa Barcia (Somers, N.Y./Somers), Alex Carlbom (Gothenburg, Sweden/Kents Hill School), Amanda Chaparro (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon) and Kerri Durkin (Mahopac, N.Y./John F. Kennedy Catholic).