Men’s soccer

The No. 3 Kenyon men’s soccer team continued their undefeated season, starting their NCAC games well by defeating the College of Wooster 3-1. Later in the week, a hard-fought battle with Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) ended in a 0-0 draw for the Owls, but the team quickly rebounded and defeated Wabash College 1-0 the following weekend, before skillfully dismantling Oberlin College 5-0. Overall, the Owls hold a record of 10-0-1. 

In their third home game of the season, Kenyon beat Wooster on a windy but fair day in front of more than 200 spectators. Ten minutes into the first half, center back Aidan Burns ’24 played a beautiful pass over the top to Sam Carson ’23, who sprinted past his defenders to collect the ball and calmly passed it into the bottom left corner. The Owls continued to pressure the opponent’s half of the field, taking 13 shots in the first half. But it was the Fighting Scots who struck next, taking advantage of a shoddy backpass to goalkeeper Jack Pedreschi ’25 to make it 1-1. However, Eamon Dujakovich ’25 gave Kenyon the lead again only three minutes later, bending the ball from just inside the box into the far side-netting. Kenyon secured the win 10 minutes before the end, when midfielder Isaac Cortez ’26 scored a diving header assisted by Atli Hrafnkelsson ’23 to make it 3-1. Pedreschi made two saves in the final 10 minutes to close out the match.

Three days later, the Owls traveled to OWU, where they were held to a tie in a defensive-minded game. Kenyon got off to a slow start in the first half and did not trouble OWU’s goalkeeper. The Battling Bishops outshot the Owls 9-3 in the first half, with four of those shots forcing saves from Pedreschi. In the second half, the tide decisively turned, and Kenyon tried all they could to break the deadlock, outshooting the Bishops 16-1. However, the OWU defense held strong, as their keeper made five total saves to shut Kenyon out with a final score of 0-0. 

The Owls again faced a hard opponent in the Little Giants, but they were able to emerge victorious. Kenyon and Wabash were even in the first half, getting off six and four shots, respectively. The Owls finally scored three minutes into the second half off of a Luke Muther ’23 corner. Muther whipped the ball in from the left-hand side, and Burns, who was named NCAC Men’s Soccer Athlete of the Week, rose to nod home the corner at the front post. Despite both teams having 10 total shots, Kenyon’s seven corners, which led to the 1-0 win, made the difference.

To end their stretch of games, the Owls faced off against the Oberlin Yeomen. Kenyon were again clinical from set pieces. On a Kenyon corner just past the 20-minute mark, the ball bounced around the box, and Burns tapped home his second goal in as many games. In almost identical fashion 20 minutes later, the Owls scored a second time, now from a free kick. Alem Duratovic ’25 headed the lofted cross across goal, and center-back Matt Nguyen ’26 made it 2-0 for Kenyon entering halftime. Eight minutes into the second half, the Owls capitalized on a Yeomen mistake, as Scott Upton ’23 flicked on a header to Carson, who selflessly squared the ball to Sebastian Gaese ’23. With an open net, Gaese scored his seventh goal of the season, finishing off a great counterattack. Carson got his own goal five minutes later, when he sprinted from his own box and stole the ball from the last Oberlin defender. From there Carson could not be caught and coolly slotted the ball into the net. Finally, Jacob Lazarus ’25 snuck the Owls’ fifth goal of the night in between the Oberlin keeper’s legs just four minutes from the end of the game, capping off a fantastic team display. 

With only four games left in the regular season, it is reasonable to say that the Owls are nearing the home stretch. However, in an email to the Collegian, Carson emphasized that the team is not slowing down, whether it be due to tough fixtures or fatigue. “Our NCAC opponents always play us tough, but as always we’re going to continue to focus on ourselves and playing our brand of soccer. Our general game plan won’t change for any opponent, so going forward it’s just about sticking with what we know and being the hardest-working team we can be.”

The Kenyon men’s soccer team will play Depauw University back in Gambier on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. 

Women’s soccer

The Owls opened NCAC play with a 1-0 win on Saturday against Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) on Mavec Field. Four days later, the Owls competed at the College of Wooster, where they came away with a hard-fought tie. They are now 1-0-1 in conference play and 3-4-4 overall.

Last year’s game between Kenyon and OWU remained scoreless beyond the final whistle, leading to a 0-0 tie in double overtime. This year’s contest was another defensive fight. In the first half, goalkeeper Leah Anderson ’23 was called upon to make four stops. At halftime, the game remained tied at zero.

In the 58th minute, the Battling Bishops were able to pierce through the Owls’ defense, leading to a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Anderson charged out of the net to cut off the angle and thwarted OWU’s golden opportunity. Minutes later, Kenyon earned a corner kick. Chloe Webb ’23 delivered the ball to the center of the box, where Talulla Sheridan ’25 was unguarded. Sheridan redirected the ball out of mid-air toward the upper left corner of the cage. Neither the OWU defender nor the netminder were able to make a save. After the goal, the Battling Bishops increased their attack. Despite being outshot 13-4 in the match, the Owls snatched a victory.

Sheridan is happy the Owls were able to hold on for the victory. “The win was also hard fought and most importantly I think it was something our team really needed going into conference play,” she wrote in an email to the Collegian. “We tied OWU last year in overtime and I wasn’t alone in wanting revenge.”

On Wednesday, Kenyon looked to extend their unbeaten streak to four games as they took on the College of Wooster. Anderson, fresh off a shutout, was excited about the team chemistry developing. “Our team is starting to connect across the field, and I look forward to us continuing to make the most of our scoring opportunities,” she wrote in an email to the Collegian prior to Wednesday’s match.

In the opening half, the Owls capitalized on a mistake by the Fighting Scots. After a turnover near midfield, Alex Sokolik ’24 made a quick pass to Sadie Gould ’24, who lobbed the ball past the goalkeeper to give the Owls a 1-0 lead. It was the only shot Kenyon took in the first half, while Wooster managed nine. 

Seven minutes into the second half, Wooster tied the game at one. Afterwards, the Fighting Scots’ intense pressure did not let up. The Owls were outshot 22-7 over the 90 minutes. Anderson made six saves in the match to ensure Kenyon was able to get a tie.

The Owls next match is at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday against DePauw University on Mavec Field.