After an appearance in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III tournament last May, Washington College was at one point ranked in the top five in February and considered a contender for the national championship.
Five losses in the first six games popped the team's bubble, but the Shoremen (6-9) persevered to go 5-3 in the Centennial Conference and grab a spot in the league tournament. Coach Jeff Shirk said he hopes qualifying for the playoffs can help redeem a disappointing regular season.
"I think the way we look at it is the regular season is one season and the playoffs is a whole new season, and anything can happen," he said Monday morning. "The biggest thing is learning from mistakes and building on the things we did well and putting our best foot forward. But I do think the guys are excited about it because we have a chance now because we're in it."
Washington College had a chance to earn the No. 3 seed, but lost 11-9 at top-seeded Gettysburg (15-0) on Saturday. Therefore, the Shoremen were forced to rely on Ursinus to defeat McDaniel to lock up a berth, and players and coaches spent the majority of the bus ride home to Chestertown watching the game online.
"The good part was that Ursinus was winning the whole time," Shirk said. "I know McDaniel made a couple runs, but I think it was pretty relaxed, pretty excited. Guys were shouting back and forth what the score was. I think it was from a players' standpoint pretty relaxed. I know from a coaches' standpoint, we were a little more concerned."
Ursinus' 12-7 victory over the Green Terror cemented Washington College as the No. 4 seed with a semifinal date at Gettysburg on Wednesday, and the celebration began while the team was still on the bus.
"A couple guys yelled it out and then the guys got excited because we were still playing and the season wasn't over," Shirk said. "I think for our seniors, there was a little bit of relief knowing that their careers weren't over yet."