When warriors come into battle, they know that they can’t let their side down. Spartans in particular are these type of fierce land-fighting warriors who will ensure that they leave their mark on any place they go. That mark was left in Hiram, Ohio as the Case Western Reserve University women’s soccer team fought to a 4-0 victory over Hiram College on Thursday, Sept. 21.  

Leading off this offensive display was second-year forward Kimberly Chen, who scored during the 13th minute off of an assist from second-year midfielder Ana Petropoulos. The offensive clinic was just getting started, as Petropoulos—this time the benefactor—scored during the 18th minute off of an assist from fourth-year midfielder Elle Zadina, which Head Coach Tiffany Crooks described as “one of the best [goals] I’ve seen in my time here.”

The connections wouldn’t stop as Zadina nailed a penalty kick during the 29th minute to increase the Spartans’ lead. Third-year forward Maggie Tyma jumped in on the action, scoring her first goal of the season during the 39th minute off of an assist by first-year defensive back Emily Hauser. When all the dust cleared, the Spartans had scored four first half goals. Second-year goalie Lauren Unterborn was able to maintain her side of the ball, earning her second clean sheet this season.

Fourth-year defensive back and co-team captain Neha Cheemalavagu applauded the team’s efforts, saying, “With how the schedule worked out, we were able to get two solid practices in before that game. We worked a lot on finishing and taking players on 1v1 which gave us more confidence in our scoring abilities.”  

Crooks added, “We finished opportunities. That was the big difference from other games. We scored early and kept pressure on them. Once we had two early goals, it was a huge momentum boost.”

The team came back home and fought through a more defensive game against Washington & Jefferson College on Sunday, Sept. 24. The match remained scoreless in the first half thanks to Unterborn’s close saves, as she ended her day with five saves. Late fireworks began during the 75th minute with Hauser’s chip shot over the goalie into the left corner of the net, assisted by third-year midfielder Emily Dickens. However, Washington & Jefferson answered back immediately via a give and go goal scored by fourth-year forward Tatiana Ruzzini in the 77th minute.

The score remained knotted up at 1 as the game headed into overtime.

After another 13 minutes of back and forth action, Washington & Jefferson third-year defensive back Nicole Walters scored the game-winning goal off of fourth-year midfielder Josie Madden’s corner kick. The Spartans fell 2-1.

CWRU completed the week with a win and a loss, bringing their season record to 4-4-0.

As for the upcoming schedule, following a loss at John Carroll University on Wednesday, Sept. 27, the team begins its University Athletic Association campaign at home with a match against No. 24 Brandeis University on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 1:30 p.m.

“We’re focusing on both our opponent’s style of play and ours,” said Coach Crooks. “We may change some things slightly to create the best match up for our success. There’s a natural excitement about starting the UAA season, so I’m not the least bit concerned about our team’s focus or motivation going into the week. We’re all excited to begin a new season.”