Kenyon women’s soccer notched their third win of the season when they shut out North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) foe Wittenberg University 3-0, but fell in their next match to Franklin College 1-0.

With the Ladies facing their first NCAC opponent, a win was crucial as they begin to fight for tournament seeding — and that is the attitude with which they approached the game. The Ladies’ offense came out strong in the first half with multiple chances in the first ten minutes of the match, though a few ended in offsides.

In the 18th minute of the match, Campbell Fee ’18 struck the ball with confidence from just outside the keeper’s box and tucked it into the left side of the net. This was Fee’s second goal in as many games. On defense, the Ladies played hard and were supported by Jillian Countey ’20, who kept the Ladies in the game with four saves.

In the second half, the Ladies fended off a quick Wittenberg attack and doubled their lead in the 53rd minute of the match when Alyssa Sugar ’20 tapped in a corner from Caroline McNeer ’21. Kenyon struck again in the 58th minute when Emma Klug ’18 received the ball in the Wittenberg box and turned quickly, shooting the ball into the back of the net and putting the Ladies up by three — which turned out to be an insurmountable lead for Wittenberg.

Against a talented Franklin squad, the Ladies’ offense again started aggressively, firing off nine shots in the first half, but none hit the back of the net. Kenyon’s best opportunity came from Brianna Maggard ’19 when she fired off a shot from the middle of the 18-yard box, but Franklin’s keeper dove and made the save.

Despite taking 16 more shots in the second half, the Ladies found themselves trailing in the 62nd minute when Franklin’s Maddie Fleet — the nation’s top goal scorer — dribbled down the left side of the pitch and put the ball into the right side of the net. The Ladies fought hard to equalize the match but failed to score in the last 30 minutes of the game.

The Ladies now turn to rival Denison University and will look to remain unbeaten in NCAC play on Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. on Mavec Field.