Sam Kuhn
Senior Sportswriter
The Men’s and Women’s soccer teams traveled to Granville, Oh. this past weekend to take on Denison University in NCAC action. The men weathered a barrage of shots en route to a 0-0 draw while the women went down early and mounted a comeback that was too little too late, and lost 4-2. The men currently stand at 6-9-1 (1-5-1 NCAC), while the women are 6-7-3 (3-3-1 NCAC).
For the women, Denison (6-5-4, 2-2-2 NCAC) came out firing, netting two goals in the first seven minutes of action, and adding on two more goals by the end of the first half. Goalie Maddy Ireton ’19 said, “Our attitude going into the second half was that we wanted have something to be proud of after the second 45 minutes. We weren’t focused on the score, we were focused on competing and creating something positive we could build on.”
The attitude change proved to be successful as Emma Lawrence ’19 scored her first goal of the season just nine minutes into the second half, putting the Scots on the board from close to midfield.
Meghan Badge ’21 cut Denison’s lead to two in the latter stages of the game, scoring from the top of the box to net her first career collegiate goal. The lead proved too much to overcome as the Scots took the loss, 4-2. Ireton finished the game with nine saves on 13 shots on goal.
The women’s team will use their bye week this Saturday to look at scores around the conference and hope they finish in the top four to make the NCAC Tournament, which would start on Wednesday.
Ireton said, “We can control our attitude and preparation toward the game, so when the game starts we are fired up and ready to play from the beginning.”
As for the men’s side, they played Denison (6-6-3, 3-1-3 NCAC) to a 0-0, double overtime draw in a game that saw a great amount of shots but no goals. Both teams totaled four shots each in the first half, while Denison ended with 18 to Wooster’s 15.
Will Collis ’19 talked about the role of a goalie in a scoreless game, and understands the importance of his situational positioning to the team’s success. “It can be very difficult to be a leader out on the field,” he said, “but knowing the role as a goalie and understanding the positioning for everyone is key to the success and performance of the team. Staying confident in your training and coaching is another key factor when stepping out on the pitch, and ‘Trusting the Process,’ as our Head Coach Andy Zidron says, is what it’s all about.”
Defender and captain Bob Beall ’18 noted Denison’s opportunities.
“Denison definitely had some good chances throughout the game, but we stayed organized in the back, which for the most part kept us out of bad situations,” he said.
Andrew Klein ’19 and Manny Burton ’20 led the team with three shots each on the day, in a balanced offensive effort that put five shots on goal to Denison’s three. Collis finished with three saves, enough to salvage a point in the standings on the day.
The men’s team travels to Wabash (9-5-1, 3-3-1 NCAC) on Saturday in their last game of the season.