On Sept. 24, the team faced their most significant challenge yet, squaring off against No.2 Carnegie Mellon Tartans. Despite the loss, the Yellow Jackets became only one of two teams to score against them this season.
Before the match, The Tartans had maintained a flawless record, securing eight consecutive wins while allowing only one goal to be scored against them.
BW’s preparation was different for this matchup due to the Tartan’s “quick and skilled” athletes, said senior Ellie Pinar, senior soccer player.
“We changed our formation to mirror theirs, so every Carnegie player was matched up with one of us,” Pinar said. “We worked on switching the field to have them chase us and worked on passing the ball to our feet rather than space.”
Kickoff started at noon on Tressel Field. The Tartans came out of the gates quickly, notching a goal within the first 10 minutes by senior midfielder Caitlyn Owens.
The Tartans kept heavy pressure on BW throughout the first half, but Junior Academic All-OAC goalkeeper Katie Scott recorded 3 saves in the net, keeping the Yellow-Jacket’s alive.
At the end of the first half, the Tartans were up 1-0 with eight shots on the goal, while BW only managed to score one. The Tartans were an offensive powerhouse, keeping the ball on the Yellow Jacket’s side for most of the half. Staying strong, BW showed consistent defensive pressure, keeping this game neck and neck.
The Tartans scored another goal 17 minutes into the second half by Junior forward Maria Askounis.
Despite trailing 2-0, BW displayed unwavering determination. First-year forward and Ohio Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week, Kalyn Rich, scored her sixth goal of the season with an assist from Senior All-OAC forward, Sydney Rice. This was only the second goal scored against Carnegie Mellon this season.
With approximately 18 minutes left in the second half, BW had to make a final push to tie up the game.
The Tartans continued to dominate defensively and only allowed BW to attempt two shots on the goal through the second half, resulting in a Carnegie Mellon win 2-1.
“They always win balls out of the air, which is how they ended up scoring the first goal,” Plinar said. “I specifically had to watch the outside runners and make sure they didn’t either serve the ball or score off them.”
Even though Carnegie Melon won, the Yellow Jackets showed that they could compete with one of the best teams in the country.
“In terms of our team, I would say every time we play a ranked team like Case or Carnegie, it challenges us in different ways to be better,” Pinar said. “After we played Case Western, we really needed to work on the transition from offense to defense, so we applied ways for us to transition better for the next few games and have seen better results because of it.”
As the season progresses, the BW women’s soccer team stands at a respectable record of four wins, three losses and one draw. With numerous matches ahead, they have many opportunities to leave their mark and further hone their skills.
