The Case Western Reserve University women’s soccer team split two games last week, falling at the hands of Ohio Northern University (ONU) on Saturday before bouncing back with a win against Wittenberg University on Tuesday. The Spartans played two more games before conference play starts and they currently have a 4-2-1 record just under halfway through the season.

In the first game against ONU, the Spartans were unable to overcome a 2-0 deficit, despite making the game interesting by scoring a goal in the 86th minute thanks to third-year midfielder Neha Cheemalavagu. The Polar Bears scored early, getting a goal in the eighth minute of the contest. The Spartans’ defense held their own, however, as ONU found themselves in Spartan territory all half, putting up nine shots, five of which were on goal. The Spartans were only able to put one shot on goal in the first half.

In the second half, the Polar Bears continued to apply pressure to the Spartans’ defense, attempting seven more shots in the half, five more of them on goal. ONU eventually scored again in the 73rd minute to put them up 2-0. The Spartans finally found their groove in the second half thanks to Cheemalavagu’s score, but that would be all the Spartans would get as they suffered their second loss of the season. ONU moved to 5-0 with the win.

In the second game against Wittenberg, it was the Spartans’ time to score early. Cheemalavagu scored only four minutes into the game via a header off of a corner kick. The Spartans had a better time offensively against Wittenberg, combining for 12 total shots on goal. CWRU’s lead would not last for long, however, as the Tigers would respond in the 24th minute to tie the game.

In the second half of the contest, the Spartans would break through in the 60th minute to score what would eventually be the game winning goal.  First-year forward Kimberly Chen scored off a putback from kick by fourth-year forward Amy Lindbergh. CWRU outshot Wittenberg 12-10 and held a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.

When asked about her team’s performance for the season, Head Coach Tiffany Crooks said, “One of the goals of this year’s team is to create more scoring opportunities. That’s happening. We’ve scored in every game thus far, so we’re on the right track.” The Spartans play at John Carroll University this Sunday, Sept. 25,at 4:30 p.m.