By: Jack Ridenour

The women’s soccer team kicked off the start of league play last week with a home matchup against Westminster College Titans. The Cougars went into the game with a 6-2 record from a win against Salem College.

The Cougars took control of the game early when Julie Bruening ‘19 scored the first goal less than five minutes into the game. Later on, Victoria Vernail ‘21 scored the second goal of the game before the end of the first half. The team’s defense was strong throughout the entire game, as the Titans only took one shot.
“I think that our defensive line did a good job of staying connected and winning 50/50 balls, so it was easy to play it through the middle and relax because we knew we had the backs to play if the ball up top wasn’t on.” Tina Lett ‘20 said about their defensive play. “I think what really gave us the one up on them was our patience and collectiveness and I think it showed when looking at how frustrated Westminster got towards the end.”
Their next challenge was against the Grove City College Wolverines. The game was a battle of the defenses, as neither team gave up a goal in the first half. Heading into the second half, the teams continued to battle it out defensively but ultimately the Cougars could not get anything going. The Wolverines scored the first goal of the game in the 73rd minute, and followed up with a second goal in the 80th minute. Katie Sieg ‘19 lead the team with a total of three shots.
“After Grove City, I think the thing we need to work on most would be finishing. The Grove City game was a good soccer game and we played with them for 90 strong minutes and two of their players found opportunities late in the game to just put it in the back of the net,” Kay Fiske ‘19 said on what the team needs to improve on after their recent loss to Grove City. “In the games coming that’s all we need, to make sure we do is find the back of the net.”
The team will take on other PAC teams in the next few games against Bethany College, Washington and Jefferson College, and Thomas Moore College; the team will be tested both offensively and defensively. By keeping up the strong defensive play, the team will be tough competition throughout the rest of league play.