Megan Zerrer
Contributing Writer
The women’s soccer team played two games over Fall Break, the first on Oct. 7th and the second on Oct. 11th. The women put up a fantastic effort but were unsuccessful on both counts.
The first game was held on campus, and the ladies played the Case Western Reserve University Spartans. The Spartans displayed their willingness to fight for the win, committing seven fouls against the Scots in the first half alone, compared to the Scots’ four. The Spartans took three shots within the first 15 minutes, going head to head against Wooster goalie Elizabeth Clark ’17, who managed to save all three.
The women were finally able to take a shot on the Spartans’ goal about fifteen minutes in, but the shot was saved by Case Western goalie Abbey Smith.
The Spartans claimed the first goal of the game about 25 minutes in. Wooster struggled to match the strength of the Spartans’ offense, allowing them to take four more shots on goal within the next five minutes. However, the Scots, true to their name, came out fighting after halftime, taking two shots on the Spartans’ goal in the first five minutes of the second half. Unfortunately, soon after the Spartans began to dominate offensively, they ultimately won the game 2-0. The Scots’ defense managed to hold the Spartans until about 30 minutes into the second half, when the second goal was scored.
The Fighting Scots then set their sights on the upcoming game against the Kenyon College Ladies. While they didn’t have the home-field advantage, the Scots put up much more of a fight, matching the Ladies for every goal they scored. The Ladies were the first to score, putting the pressure on the Fighting Scots to follow up with a goal of their own. The goal was scored five minutes in, and the Scots were unable to get themselves on the board until the 30th minute.
This 1-0 lead was the largest the Ladies were able to achieve throughout the entire game. The lead ended when Lauren Hancher ’16 scored, assisted by Carly Joliat ’16. While Kenyon managed to score one more point before the half, the Fighting Scots were ready and waiting to put another point on the board, which they did. Jessica Friesen ’15 scored this second goal for Wooster into the upper right corner of the net, assisted by Rachael Davis ’16. The goal once more tied the match at 2-2.
Kenyon followed up with a goal of their own, claiming the lead once more. That lead lasted only seven minutes, after which Hancher converted a penalty kick into another point, allowing Wooster to regain the lead. The goal was Hancher’s fifth of the season.
In the end, Kenyon scored the final goal, giving them a 4-3 lead. This goal was scored in the last six minutes of the game, and Wooster did not have time to retaliate. All in all, the game was a great display of the two teams’ offensive power, as the combined total shots taken was thirty, while the goalkeepers made only five saves.
The Fighting Scots played Hiram College on October 14 after press time. Their next game is home on October 18 against Denison University.
With four games remaining in the regular season at press time, the Scots are in second place in the NCAC. The top four teams make the conference tournament on November 5, and Wooster (2-1 in conference) trails first place Kenyon by 1.5 games (4-0 in conference).