Women’s Soccer
Women’s soccer (0-2-0) got off to a slow start this weekend with a tough 1-0 overtime loss to Capital University (Ohio) and a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Illinois Wesleyan University.
The Ladies controlled the first 60 minutes of the game against Capital, rallying off four shots during the first half, compared to just two for the Crusaders.
The Ladies’ first and best opportunity of the half came in under 10 minutes as Samantha Hayes ’21 created some room in the box and shot the ball toward the net, finding the keeper’s hands. Minutes later, goalie Jillian Countey ’20 made a clutch save to keep the score tied at 0-0.
The Ladies had two more opportunities to score from Meredith Rogers ’19 and Gillian Blackwell ’18, but neither managed to convert their opportunities into goals. In the second half, the Crusaders picked up their pressure on the Ladies, firing off 13 shots.
After a hard-fought game, the deciding goal came in the 96th minute of the first section of overtime as the Crusaders floated the ball to the top of the Ladies’ box. Countey charged, attempting to clear it away, but she was too late, as the Capital’s forward got the first touch on the ball and put it into the corner of the net.
The Ladies then faced Illinois Wesleyan, who only needed six minutes to put the first goal on the board. The Titans then doubled their lead as the half came to a close with a shot from outside the 18. The Titans put two more away in the second half, locking away their win.
“We had opportunities to score but we didn’t capitalize,” said Assistant Coach Katherine Cobb. “We have faith in our starters and our bench to implement what we have been trying to do in the coming weeks against a difficult schedule.”
The Ladies continue their season with three home games against Washington and Lee University (Va.) on Sept. 9, Dominican University (Ill.) on Sept. 10 and Washington and Jefferson College (Pa.) on Sept. 13.
Men’s Soccer
The Lords began play this weekend, splitting three games with two wins against Carnegie Mellon University and Otterbein University and one loss against John Carroll University.
The first half against Carnegie Mellon saw opportunities from both teams, with 11 combined shots on net, but none that crossed the goal line.
The Lords’ luck changed when early in the second half Brice Koval ’19 fired off a shot from the top of the box that punched the back of the net.
The Tartans found a late response in the 89th minute when a header from Jimmy Jameson was lifted past keeper Ian McInturf ’21.
In the 107th minute of double overtime, the fifth-ranked Lords found themselves on the attack against the 20th-ranked Carnegie Mellon. Kenyon’s Greg McNeer ’19 played a long ball into the Tartans’ goal box.
After a failed Tartan clearance, the ball eventually fell to Oliver Wynn ’18 nine yards from the goal. Wynn fired a shot into the right side of the goal, lifting the Lords over the Tartans and giving them their first win of the season.
“We were happy to get the first regular season win against a ranked opponent,” Wynn said. “Winning in double OT is always exciting and will give us a lot of energy going forward.”
The euphoria of a double overtime win was short-lived as the Lords were stunned by a late goal from John Carroll University. With only nine minutes remaining in the game, the Blue Streaks executed a give-and-go pass in the Lords’ 18-yard box, finishing the play with a shot past McInturf.
The Lords dropped to 1-1 as, for the first time in just over two years, they found themselves with fewer shots than their opponents.
The Lords then took on Otterbein and started quickly, taking 12 shots in the first half and scoring first when Henry Myers ’18 picked up a loose ball coming off the post and tucked it into the right side of the net. Otterbein responded just 10 minutes later when Kennedy Mensah finished a breakaway opportunity against McInturf.
The Lords came out strong in the second half as Woo Jeon ’18, Brice Koval ’19 and Collyn Carpenter ’21 each tallied a goal, helping the Lords finish the game with a dominant 4-1 victory.
For now, Wynn is happy with their performance this season. “The team is young and has a lot of talent, so the more we play with each other and gel as a team, the better we will be,” he said.
The Lords continues their season with three away games against Spalding University (Ky.) on Sept. 8, Centre College (Ky.) on Sept. 9 and Marietta College (Ohio) on Sept. 13.