The Kenyon men’s and women’s soccer teams were back in action over the past week, with the men’s team recording a draw before beating Wabash College, and the women’s team tying with Wittenberg College and beating John Carroll University.

Men: Kenyon pulled off a dramatic comeback over the weekend, tying John Carroll University 1-1 after a match that spent the majority of its duration trending toward a loss. Then, on Tuesday, the Owls earned their first conference win of the season with a 3-0 victory over Wabash. Kenyon’s record currently stands at 5-3-6 (1-2-2 NCAC)

On Saturday, the Owls got off to a slow start against John Carroll, but the last few minutes flipped the result on its head when Isaac Cortez ’26 scored in the 85th minute to level the match on Senior Day.

The first half saw fairly even competition, with the two teams almost matching one another in shots on goal. However, John Carroll capitalized on a stroke of luck right before halftime when a deflection took an unpredictable bounce into the net. Following the demoralizing concession, Kenyon took matters into its own hands in the second half. The Owls dominated possession and fired off nine shots to John Carroll’s one. Cortez’s goal came off of a rebounded cross from Lucas de Alarcon ’28, which Cortez controlled and then directed into the bottom corner of the goal, for his second of the season. Though the result ended as a draw, the game displayed the Owls’ level of resilience and highlighted the seniors’ leadership on their day. The players honored on Senior Day were Robbie Stroebel ’26, James Paden ’26, Cortez, Miko Warshaw ’26 and Joaquin Sanchez-Korenfeld ’26. 

On Tuesday, the Owls started on the front foot, earning a penalty kick just nine minutes into the game. The kick left the foot of Moustapha Gassama ’27 and slipped straight past the goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead. Just two minutes later, Kenyon struck again when de Alarcon found the back of the net, assisted by Joey Nigro ’29. The remainder of the period was spent in a tense back-and-forth, but the Kenyon defense held strong, keeping the score 2-0 going into the break. 

The second half began with an onslaught of Kenyon offense, seeing numerous shots, but none could be finished for goals. Finally, in the 70th minute of play, Sanchez-Korenfeld knocked in the final goal of the game, assisted by Hayato Ishii ’28 and Justin Buchwalter ’28. 

The Owls will look to breathe life into their postseason chances this week, with a fixture against DePauw University at home on Saturday. 

Women: On Saturday, Kenyon traveled to Springfield, Ohio, for a conference matchup against the Wittenberg Tigers. While the Owls found the back of the net once, they were unable to secure the win and ended the contest in a draw. Kenyon looks to improve upon its already strong conference record of 7-2-4 (1-1-1 NCAC). 

Kenyon was forced to mount a strong defensive stand against the Tigers’ initial offensive onslaught. Wittenberg registered three shots within the first 20 minutes, while Kenyon initially failed to generate much offensive pressure. However, the Owls earned the first corner kick of the contest, but couldn’t convert the opportunity into a goal. Emily Copeland ’28 logged Kenyon’s first shot on goal, but the Tigers’ keeper saved the ball.  Just under 35 minutes into the match, Wittenberg scored, putting them up 1-0 and pulling in front of the Owls. 

Going into the second half, Kenyon intended to spark offensive success. Copeland converted on her second opportunity of the contest, scoring around 10 minutes after play restarted. The Owls leveled the score at one apiece, and looked to continue to capitalize on chances in the attacking half of the field. The Tigers finished the contest with 13 shots, and goalkeeper Ariel Kite ’27 had a tremendous showing for Kenyon to prevent the Tigers from scoring more than one goal. Neither team could find the edge over their opponent, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw. 

On Wednesday, the John Carroll Blue Streaks got out on the front foot, recording the first three shots of the game. However, the Owls held firm and generated their first shot off the foot of Jenna Michel ’26 in the 14th minute. While the shot missed the mark, Kenyon was able to keep the offensive pressure on and in the 27th minute, Claire Pruner ’28 sunk the ball past the outstretched arms of the John Carroll goalkeeper to take the early 1-0 lead. The Owls’ defense held strong for the rest of the half and maintained the advantage going into the break. The second half consisted of an intense back-and-forth between the two teams, leaving Pruner’s goal to be the sole of the match. 

Kenyon and John Carroll tied for shots with 10; however, 7 of Kenyon’s were on goal to John Carroll’s 1. Pruner and Copeland tied for shots at 4, and shots on goal with 4 and 2, respectively. This was a major upset for the Owls as the Blue Streaks are ranked first, in the NCAC and were previously undefeated in the conference. 

Up next, Kenyon will face off against Oberlin College for Senior Day on Saturday.