Women: Over the weekend, the Kenyon women’s soccer team celebrated its Senior Day in style with a 6-0 win over the Marietta College Pioneers. After a 4-0 win against the Muskingum College Fighting Muskies four days later, the Owls’ record moved to 5-1-3. 

The Owls opened the scoring against the Pioneers through a blazing goal from senior Sadie Gould ’24. Gould got on the end of one of Kenyon’s six corners, powering the ball into the back of the net with a clean header. As the game progressed, Kenyon continued its powerful advance with another goal from fellow senior Alex Sokolik ’24 off of a pristine corner kick in the 33rd minute. Jenna Michel ’26 scored her first goal of the season just before half-time to propel the Owls to a 3-0 lead. 

In an email to the Collegian, Sokolik said, “The team was really happy with our performance this weekend; being able to dominate a game not only on the scoreboard but on the field is something every team strives for.”

With control of possession for the majority of the game, the team was able to score its fourth goal after an impressive dribbling run from Eun Hae Lillig ’25. Gabi Pesticci ’25 and Lilly Lucas ’24 split time in net, and both made good saves to contribute to Kenyon’s fifth clean sheet of the season. As the game neared the end, captain Morgan Baker ’25 netted the team’s last two goals in the 55th and 62nd minute, capping off a triumphant victory.

With an impressive performance from the team as a whole, this Senior Day game was one to remember. “Scoring six goals on Senior Day was really special for us,” Sokolik said. “It was a testament to our determination and resilience as a class, but also the talent and success of the entire team.” 

On Wednesday, the Owls launched an offensive onslaught against the Muskies, coming away with a 4-0 victory. 16 minutes in, Talulla Sheridan ’25 opened her account for the 2023 season with an easy tap-in goal after Gould’s shot rattled off the crossbar. Then with 10 minutes left in the first half, Julianna Granetzke ’26 scored a looping goal over the Muskingum goalkeeper and doubled Kenyon’s lead. Entering the second half up 2-0, Sheridan scored again just a minute and 15 seconds in, winning the ball near midfield and launching a powerful shot into the top right corner. Finally, Sokolik made it two goals in two games as she redirected a volley from Sheridan into the back of the net. Kenyon outshot Muskingum 33-0, with 20 shots on goal.

The Owls hope to continue their winning season and impressive offensive performances, taking the University of Mary Washington (Va.) on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. 

Men: The Kenyon men’s soccer team split two matches this week, falling to Trine University (Ind.) 4-3 on Saturday before beating Centre College (Ky.) 1-0 on Tuesday. The results put the Owls at 6-3-0 on the season.

In the first game of the week, the Thunder opened up the scoring 25 minutes in and led 1-0 at halftime. The Owls, visibly rejuvenated to start the second half, pushed for an equalizer and got an opportunity after forward Atli Hrafnkelsson ’24 drew a penalty kick, which captain Aidan Burns ’24 coolly put in the back of the net. Trine was able to retake the lead, but Kenyon immediately equalized with a goal from Joey Martens ’24. In the 72nd minute, Trine’s Jarick Aguilar got into a scuffle with Alex Ramirez ’26, resulting in a red card and leaving Trine with 10 men for the remainder of the contest. Four minutes later, Matt Nguyen ’26 got on the end of a corner kick and sent a well-placed shot into the bottom left corner and past the outstretched arms of the Trine goalkeeper to give the Owls a 3-2 lead. However, Trine forward Tyler Murphy completed his hat-trick and tied it up soon after. Then in the 86th minute, Trine whipped in a corner that the Kenyon defense miscontrolled, resulting in an own goal, securing the upset win for the Thunder.

The loss was a shock to the Owls, who had found their groove and only seen wins since Sept. 3. Ramirez, who assisted Nguyen’s goal, wrote in an email to the Collegian: “We came out slow from the start and didn’t capitalize on our chances…I feel like we lost that chip on our shoulder.”

Kenyon was able to shake off the tough loss and put together a solid 1-0 win against Centre. After a scoreless first half, forward Alem Duratovic ’25 put in the only goal of the contest on a rebound off the Centre goalkeeper, with the assist from midfielder Eamon Dujakovich ’25. The Owls’ defense perhaps had the biggest improvement, putting together its fourth shutout so far this year. A tactical adjustment was made to the starting lineup as the team went with five defenders to begin the match compared to their typical four. Defenders Charlie Penzone ’25 and Robbie Stroebel ’26 both started the game after coming off the bench on Saturday.

The Owls will begin NCAC play on Saturday at DePauw University, whom Kenyon has beaten six times in a row dating back to 2016. It will be Kenyon’s first road game in almost a month and the Owls will look to fully conquer the conference after winning the regular season title but falling in the conference championship game last season. Ramirez said of this year’s squad, “[We t]reat every game like it’s our last and leave it all out on the field. … I believe our ceiling could be playing the final game in December.”