Chatham women’s soccer lost its quarterfinal match to Franciscan in a close final shootout, bringing to an end both Chatham’s soccer seasons. Here is a recap of the women’s and men’s seasons. 

Match facts: 

• 9-16 total shots
• Nine saves from Kyanni Escudero ‘28 
• Three shots on goal from Halle Marsalis ‘26
• End season on 10-6-3 record (7-4 PAC, 7-1-2 Home records)
• First playoff appearance for Women’s Soccer in two seasons
• Marsalis ends season with 15 goals (T-14 in the NCAA, T-1st in the PAC)
• Marsalis also ends the season 3rd in PAC for total points (31) and in T-32nd in the NCAA, 3rd in NCAA shots on goal per game, and 6th in NCAA for shots per game
• Escudero also finished with 8 total clean sheets (seven individual, one combined) 

Women’s soccer recap

Chatham women’s soccer ended off their season with a 10-6-3 overall record and a 7-4 record in conference play. With an impressive 7-1-2 home record, it solidified UPMC Graham Field as a fortress for the team this season.  

After opening the season with back-to-back losses, the team went on a streak of five games undefeated (3-0-2) before opening conference play. After an opening day loss, they would follow it up with a 7-3 end of the season in conference play. This impressive streak led them to the 4th overall seed in President’s Athletic Conference (PAC) playoffs with 21 points gathered throughout the season as well as the team’s first playoff berth in two years.  

The 4th seed saw them match up against the Barons of Franciscan University. This would be a repeat matchup of earlier in the season when the two teams met at Graham Field. The Cougars won the previous game 3-0 over the Barons with goals from Marsalis, Carly Hinden ‘28 and Kaitlyn Valentic ‘28.   

The playoff matchup was a tense one, needing all 110 minutes before the contest was settled in a penalty shootout, with Franciscan coming out the victors 4-2. During the match, the Cougars were outshot 9-16, with Escudero making nine saves and keeping the match close. Marsalis recorded three shots on goal in an attempt to break the deadlock.  

Despite the abrupt ending to the season, there were many positives for the Cougars. The team ranked 24th in the nation for shots on goal per game (11.12) and 50th in total shots per game (19.12). Marsalis ended the season with 15 goals, which placed her tied 14th in the NCAA for goals and tied 1st in PAC. Marsalis also ended the season with 31 points, which placed her tied 31st in the NCAA and 3rd in the PAC, 3rd in the NCAA for shots on goal per game, and 6th in the NCAA for shots per game.  

 Women’s soccer top performers 

Goals: Marsalis – 15 goals (four game-winning goals) 

Assists: Ainsley Smith ‘26 – six assists 

Points: Marsalis – 31 pts 

Clean Sheets: Escudero – seven individual one combined 

Saves: Escudero – 84 saves  

Men’s soccer season recap

Chatham Men’s Soccer ends its season with a 4-9-6 record overall and a 2-4-5 record in PAC conference play. The team narrowly missed a conference playoff spot with their final day draw against Hiram. 

This ended what was an up and down year for the young squad. With only one senior, defender Matthew Crosby leaving after this season, Head Coach Keith Danley and his squad will look to build on the good results, including the team’s first-ever win over Geneva (1-0 on Oct. 22nd) and wins over teams such as Marietta and Oberlin. 

Noteworthy performances include Maxwell Cottrill ‘27, placing 1st in the PAC in both save percentage (0.878) and saves per game (6.00), while placing 3rd in total saves (72) and goals against average (0.870).  

 Men’s soccer top performers

Goals: Christopher Colonna ‘28 – four goals (two game-winning goals) 

Assists: Jr. Xavier Johnston – four assists 

Points: Soph. Christopher Colonna & Jr. Xavier Johnston – eight points 

Clean Sheets: Cottrill – four clean sheets 

Saves: Cottrill – 72 saves