Over this past Labor Day weekend, the student athletes of Case Western Reserve University continued their hard work. The vast majority of games played by CWRU teams over the weekend saw the Spartans emerge victorious, providing further momentum as each of these teams continue their 2026 campaigns.
Football
The CWRU football team opened its season on a strong footing as they defeated the University of Rochester 38-20 this past Friday, Sept. 4. The game, which took place in Rochester, New York, saw graduate student quarterback Aaron Filips throw for 356 yards and four touchdowns, both personal bests for his collegiate career.
The Spartans as a whole were firing on all cylinders during the game, with the offense racking up a total of 445 yards while the defense held Rochester to a mere 164 yards. CWRU was the first to score during the game, via an 11-yard touchdown pass from Filips to wide receiver Jake Otto. This effectively set the tone for the rest of the game as the Spartans never gave up their lead and even held Rochester scoreless during the second and third quarters. Though the Yellowjackets scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, it was not enough to overcome the significant lead that the Spartans had put up, thus sealing their win.
The team now enters their bye week, getting some time to rest before their home opener on Saturday, Sept. 19, when they host Shenandoah University for a noon match at DiSanto Field.
Men’s Soccer
Following a dominant season opener victory, the CWRU men’s soccer team continued the momentum into the long weekend as they scored a pair of victories, improving to 3-0-0 for the season.
The first of these two games saw the Spartans welcome Juniata College to DiSanto Field on Saturday, Sept. 5. The game began relatively quietly, though 10 minutes into the game Juniata scored a goal, gaining an early edge. With a little over a minute left in the period, second-year Gavin Trosch sent a ball into the goal to tie the score. Only 30 seconds later, an attempted penalty kick by fourth-year and co-captain Cormac Apostolides was recovered by first-year Leo Miranda and second-year Micah Rossen, and the latter successfully scored the ball to put the Spartans on top. The second half of the game saw numerous possession changes but no successful shots, thus allowing CWRU to claim a 2-1 victory in the game.
The next day, the squad traveled to Wooster, Ohio to take on the College of Wooster. The Spartans wound up dominating the Fighting Scots 3-0, giving them a win in their first road game of the season. Second-year Alex Eby fired the team’s first shot at the 18th minute, followed up by fourth-year Ohta Kamiya nine minutes later. The game’s outcome was effectively decided in the 78th minute with a goal from Rossen. While Wooster pursued an aggressive strategy with four corner kicks and three shot attempts in the final ten minutes, none of it was enough to put a dent in the Spartans’ lead.
The squad returns to Cleveland this weekend as they host Lycoming College at DiSanto Field on Saturday, Sept. 12. Kickoff is at noon.
Women’s Soccer
The No. 11 nationally ranked CWRU women’s soccer team had a weekend to remember as they celebrated their Senior Day on Saturday, Sept. 6 to honor the program’s graduating seniors. Complementing the celebrations was a 3-1 victory over Capital University at DiSanto Field.
The match was a dead heat through the entire first half, as both teams failed to find the back of the net for much of the period, resulting in a 0-0 score at halftime. Things began to turn around for the Spartans in the second half, however, when first-year Sonora Hale found the back of the net in the 47th minute, with an assist from second-year Izzy Probst. Together they scored the first goal of the game and landed Hale her third of the season. Though Capital scored a goal of their own nine minutes later, it was countered not too long after by a successful penalty kick from third-year Ashley Liang. To top it all off, third-year Abby Welker added on a goal in the 85th minute thanks to an assist from Hale, all but sealing the Spartans’ victory.
Next up on the schedule for the squad is a home game against Grove City College on Saturday, Sept. 12 at DiSanto Field. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m.
Volleyball
The CWRU volleyball team made the trip to Wooster, Ohio over the weekend for the Great Lakes Crossover, an annual meet hosted by Heidelberg University.
The first of the squad’s three games for the meet saw them defeat Kenyon College 3-0 on the evening of Friday, Sept. 4. CWRU was consistently dominant throughout the match, holding a lead over Kenyon for the majority of the first two sets. The third set saw an early battle between the teams with Kenyon taking an 11-9 lead, though the Spartans would later take back the lead, ultimately winning the set to secure the shutout win.
Match two for the Spartans saw them defeat the hosts Heidelberg 3-1. CWRU started the game strong with a solid 25-15 win in the first set. Though the Spartans fell to the Student Princes 17-25 in the second set, they bounced back in sets three and four to secure another win for the meet.
The Spartans’ third match of the meet saw them fall to Hanover College 3-1. Though the contest was a close one between the two teams, Hanover was almost always slightly ahead. The Panthers won the first two sets, before falling to the Spartans in the third set but then clinching the fourth set to seal their victory. On a brighter note, third-year Sophia Datto reached a career 1,000 digs during the match against Hanover, becoming the 22nd player in program history to achieve the feat.
The woes for the squad continued into the week following the meet, however, as they fell to Baldwin Wallace University 1-3. While CWRU emerged victorious in the first set, they went on to drop the three subsequent sets to Baldwin Wallace, giving the Spartans a loss to the Yellow Jackets for the second year in a row.
Despite the setbacks, many opportunities remain for the Spartans to bounce back. The first of them come this weekend when the annual CWRU Quad takes place in Horsburgh Gymnasium. First up for the Spartans in this tournament is a match against Hiram College on Friday, Sept. 11.
Women’s Tennis
The CWRU women’s tennis team kicked off their season with a trip to Meadville, Pennsylvania for the annual Allegheny Invite on Sunday, Sept. 6. Across matches featuring opponents from Mercyhurst University, Tiffin University and Allegheny College, the Spartans ultimately finished the meet with a 5-5 record in singles matches and a 5-7 record in doubles.
Following up this meet is the Spartans’ next event: the Big Red Invite hosted by Denison University in Granville, Ohio. Matches will be taking place on Saturday, Sept. 12 and Sunday, Sept. 13.