Men’s Soccer
Lords soccer dominated Thomas More College last Saturday on Mavec Field. But a late goal by the Saints forced the game into overtime, and the Lords recorded their second tie of the year.
In a physical matchup that featured a total of five yellow cards, three of which were against Kenyon, the Lords fired off 26 shots, 11 on target, and earned nine corner kicks. The Lords only found the back of the net once in the 22nd minute of the match, when Woo Jeon ’18 headed the ball into the right corner of the net off a cross by Greg McNeer ’19.
The defense held strong until the 87th minute, when the Lords conceded another late goal to their opponent, which pushed the game into overtime. The Lords eventually tied the Saints 1-1 in double overtime.
Allowing late goals has been a weakness of an otherwise solid Lords team this season. Of the four goals the Lords have given up, three have come after the 80th minute of the match. Two have come within the last two minutes of regular time.
“The goals against us have all been because there has been a break in focus for a split second,” defender David Anderson ’19 said. “We need to make sure that we don’t get too relaxed in the final minutes and keep the intensity high.”
In addition to these late game concessions, the Lords’ offense has been less potent than in the past. Over the past four years, their offense between 2013 and 2016 has earned a goal to shots ratio of .145, .127, .132 and .123, respectively, as they averaged around 2.5 goals per game. In 2017, with about a third of the season completed, the Lords have a goal to shots ratio of .074 and are averaging under 1.5 goals per game.
“It starts in practice. We have been working on more finishing drills in order to convert more of our shots into goals,” Anderson said. “During the game, we need to continue to put shots on target to give ourselves the best chance of putting some in the back of the net.”
The Lords will look to correct these problems, as the most important part of their season is just around the corner when they will face nine NCAC rivals.
Women’s Soccer
Kenyon women’s soccer played two home games into overtime this week, tying Thomas More College 0-0 and beating John Carroll University 1-0.
Both teams started quickly in the game against Thomas More College, as each side found opportunities to score early. Kenyon’s best chance of the first half was a shot that sailed over the crossbar by Emma Klug ’18. Following that opening chance, the defense had to hold off a persistent Saints attack, which unleashed six shots in the first half and featured a one-on-one opportunity just nine minutes into the game, which keeper Jillian Countey ’20 saved.
The Ladies picked up their attack in the second half, firing off six shots before the 75th minute, but none reached the net. The Saints managed 12 shots in the last 15 minutes of the match, but Kenyon’s defense held firm, anchored by Countey, who made nine saves during the match. In overtime, the best opportunity for the Ladies came from Campbell Fee ’18 as she fired off a shot that was followed up by Tess Austin ’18, but Thomas More’s keeper fended off the attack.
Kenyon faced John Carroll in a game that touted a strong defense for both the Ladies and the Blue Streaks. The Ladies won the game in golden-goal overtime when neither team scored in regular time, though they took a combined 21 shots. The Ladies wasted no time in the first 10 minutes, pressing into the defensive third of the Blue Streaks. With four minutes gone in the match, the ball fell to Fee, who tucked the ball into the right side of the net and gave Kenyon their second win of the season.
The Ladies will look to improve on their 2-4-1 record when they open up North Coast Athletic Conference play against Wittenberg University at home on Sept. 23.