The No. 16-ranked Case Western Reserve University women’s soccer team opened the season with an astounding 5-0 win against Kenyon College. This five-goal shutout is the largest for the team since their 6-0 victory over Ithaca College during the 2022 NCAA tournament.

After an amazing beginning with the squad, Head Coach Alyssa Johnson commented on her first game and victory with them.

“I’m really excited. I think it was just really great for us to see things translate from our first couple weeks together into our first game. Obviously it’s shown us like what we need to still work on. But I think the really exciting and promising thing is that we’ve already seen some of the changes that we’re trying to get them to make start to transition to our first game. So I’m really excited to see how we continue to develop, but it was a really rewarding first game, and I think the team chemistry and camaraderie [were] exciting to see and to build off of,” Johnson said.

Graduate student goalkeeper Maggie Storti, who played all 90 minutes and entered her fifth season with the team, also commented on the team’s first win of the season.

“The energy was just crazy—can’t really imitate it. This team just loves to be out here. We have such good team chemistry right now, and it really reflects both on and off the field. So going forward, just gonna keep the energy up. And you know, we have the talent, so hopefully keep winning and working on what we need to. It should be a good season. It’s a good start,” Storti added.

During Friday night’s game, the first point came from third-year midfielder Jamie Goldfarb 10:16 minutes into the game after an assist from fourth-year defender Katie Rishel who had collected the ball at the top of the box. Unmarked, Goldfarb chipped the ball past the goalkeeper for her sixth career goal.

Seven minutes after Goldfarb’s goal, third-year forward/midfielder Alexis Sassower followed up with another one. After receiving a pass from third-year forward Maggie Farra, Sassower lofted a left-footed shot, causing the ball to soar over 20 yards into the back of the net.

The next two goals occurred within 56 seconds of each other, increasing the squad’s advantage to four. Second-year defender Kat Tsarouhas recorded the Spartans’ third goal and her first collegiate goal after taking possession of an errant clearance. Her shot nailed the crossbar, landing the ball beyond the endline. Soon after, third-year midfielder/forward Ceci Dapino secured her own rebound from a close range shot and sent the ball sailing into the upper right corner of the net. After the Spartans gained their 4-point lead, both teams went scoreless for the next 63 minutes.

The final point was the sole goal made during the second half. At the 84th minute mark, third-year forward Molly Shamah received a consecutive pass from Farra and first-year midfielder Abby Welker and sent the ball into the net, contributing to the team’s 5-0 victory.

Fourth-year forward and one of the captains Carolyn Koutures commented on the team’s five goals.

“It showed that with five different goal scores, we have a lot of talent all around the field, and that also we played a lot of players last night, and that kind of just shows how much depth we have on our team, and how many talented players and have a deep roster this year, which is good going forward,” Koutures said.

In front of the net, Storti recorded two saves as the Spartan defense only allowed three total shots from the Owls. On the offensive side, the Spartans were more proactive, taking 33 shots with 15 shots on goal.

Storti mentioned how the team differs from previous seasons.

“It’s a very player-led program as well, which is what we’ve tried to achieve for so long. I think it’s really finally coming together, and every person loves to be here and is putting their full effort in,” Storti commented.

Rishel also mentioned that there is still room for growth, and the team will be looking to get stronger throughout the season.

“Our backline is really young, so I think we’re just still kind of learning how to play together, but I think everyone’s done a great job learning as we go,” Rishel added.

With this great start to the season, the team looks forward to future competition, beginning with a pair of games in Washington.

“I think we’re definitely looking forward to going to Seattle next weekend. It’s going to be really good competition. So it’ll be a good challenge for us, and also will be a fun trip with the whole team,” Koutures commented.

Their next four contests will be on the road, with the squad’s first match on Sept. 6 against the University of Puget Sound, followed by a game against Pacific Lutheran University on Sept. 7. After two away games against Baldwin Wallace University and Otterbein University, the Spartans will return for a home game against the University of Mount Union.