The Case Western Reserve University women’s soccer team was on the road this past weekend with a pair of away games against Baldwin Wallace University and Otterbein University. The Spartans shutout the Yellow Jackets 2-0 and tied the match against the Cardinals 0-0.

During the first 10 minutes of the match on Friday, Sept. 13 at Baldwin Wallace, both teams went scoreless before third-year forward Molly Shamah put the Spartans on the board. Shamah had dibbled the ball just outside the 18-yard box after collecting a loose ball 40 yards from the net. Inside the box, Shamah fired a lob shot that hit the crossbar, landing the ball beyond the endline.

Neither team scored for the remainder of the half. However, during the 54th minute, Shamah notched her second goal of the night after the ball ended up at her feet due to a save by the Yellow Jacket goalkeeper. She tapped the ball from the far post into the back of the net for the tally.

“Honestly, I feel super proud of myself and how far I have come in this program. My journey through collegiate athletics has definitely been far from perfect and being able to put 2 on the scoresheet in a single game is something that I would have thought to be impossible the past two years. Both of the goals were a result of the entire team putting in the defensive effort of putting pressure on the ball, especially the second goal. When we were all on the same page defensively and offensively, we saw the most success on the field which eventually led to the win Wednesday,” Shamah said.

Offensively, the Spartans made 34 shots with 19 on goal. Shamah led the team with 6 shots, 5 of which were shot on target. Third-year forward and midfielder Alexis Sassower followed with 4 shots, and both fourth-year midfielder Sydney Schenk and second-year defender Kat Tsarouhas recorded 3 shots. Defensively, the Spartans kept a clean sheet, with graduate student goalkeeper Maggie Storti recording 3 saves. The clean sheet win marked the 28th shutout for Storti, extending her program record.

The Saturday game against Otterbein ended in a scoreless draw, with the Spartans leading in shots 23-5. However, both teams were unable to find the back of the net. Third-year midfielder and forward Ceci Dapino and Sassower paced the team with 4 shots, including 2 shots on target, and Storti recorded 4 saves.

Shamah also commented on the upcoming games and the team dynamic so far in the season.

“I definitely think this team has potential for this season. It is still early in the season and we are still working on gelling together and integrating the first-years to our style of play,” she said. “Our offensive lineup is dangerous with extremely technical and creative players but all it is right now is that finishing touch on goal that we are missing. I have no doubt that we will continue our offensive dominance in the final third and get more wins in the season. Our defense is definitely young, but strong. We have many talented players that have stepped up into their roles this season so I am excited to see what is to come.”

This weekend, the squad will celebrate their Senior Day with a game against Capital University at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21.