After four successful on-the-road contests, the Case Western Reserve University women’s soccer team returned to DiSanto Field for a pair of home games last week. On Wednesday, Sept. 18, the squad bested the University of Mount Union, achieving their second 5-0 shutout this season.

The first tally of the game came during the 10th minute after third-year midfielder Mackenzie Mueller collected the deflected ball from the Purple Raiders’ throw-in and fired it past the goalkeeper. The remainder of the half went scoreless, resulting in CWRU leading 1-0 into halftime.

Two minutes into the second half, the Spartans doubled their advantage when third-year midfielder and forward Ceci Dapino notched their second goal of the night. After gaining possession of the ball from the sidelines 30 yards from goal, she dribbled the ball to the middle  and evaded a defender before firing a shot above the Purple Raider goalkeeper’s head and into the net.

Third-year forward and midfielder Alexis Sassower added the third and fourth tallies to the Spartan’s 5-0 win with her consecutives goals being within eight minutes of each other. Her first goal of the game came from a shot just outside the box after a short pass from Mueller, who achieved her second assist of the season.

Sassower’s second goal was from a fired shot toward the top of the net, which hit the crossbar before landing beyond the endline. The ball had reached Sassower’s feet after the Mount Union goalkeeper saved fourth-year defender Montgomarie Essex’s shot. Essex recorded her first collegiate assist with the play. The final goal of the night was made by fourth-year forward Carolyn Koutures, who was assisted by third-year forward Molly Shamah.

CWRU recorded 20 shots in the contest with 9 on target, compared to Mount Union’s 3 shots in the contest with 2 on target. Sassower, Dapino and second-year defender Kat Tsarouhas recorded 3 shots.

On the backline, fourth-year defender Katie Rishel and first-year defender Kinzly Gootman played all 90 minutes, helping contribute to the Spartans’ clean sheet. In front of the net, graduate student goalkeeper Maggie Storti recorded 1 save during her 69 minutes of play and first-year goalkeeper Ellie Palaian recorded 22 minutes of action and 1 save with her collegiate debut.

On Saturday, the Spartans celebrated their five fourth-years—Koutures, Rishel, Essex, midfielder Abigail Meneses and midfielder Sydney Schenk—with a 2-1 Senior Day win against Capital University.

First-year forward Taylor Brackett broke the deadlock in the 39th minute, placing the Spartans on the board 1-0. She received a pass from first-year midfielder Abby Welker in the middle of the box before sending the ball into the net. With the tally, Brackett recorded her first collegiate goal, and Welker had her second assist of the season.

“It felt great to score my first collegiate goal! I was excited to contribute to my team. My teammate, Abby Welker, had a great run down the right side of the field and played a good ball into the box, so I was glad I was able to put it away,” Brackett said.

Beyond celebrating her past four-years with the team, Schenk’s biggest moment from Saturday’s game was watching Brackett score.

“My favorite moment from the Capital game was seeing Taylor Brackett score her first collegiate goal! She had a great finish to get us on the board in the first half, which gave us great momentum going into the second half,” she said.

The hosts followed the goal and were awarded a penalty kick, with Dapino converting from the spot and placing the Spartans up 2-0. The Comets cut their deficit with a goal during the 75th minute. However, the Spartans didn’t let any more balls into the net for the remainder of the game, solidifying their 2-1 win over Capital.

“It was awesome to get a win on our Senior Day! Our family support is amazing, and they definitely showed up for Senior Day. I always love having my parents in the stands, too. They come to as many games as they can from out of town, and it’s always nice to hear them cheering me and the team on!” Schenk said.

Schenk also commented on the matches, citing the energy on the field being a major contributor to the team’s win.

“I think the key factors to both matches this past week were coming out strong with a high-press. We want to set the tone early and force mistakes from the other teams. Also, coming off of a scoreless tie, we wanted to focus on converting our chances.”

Offensively, CWRU had 21 shots, with Dapino leading the squad with 5, including 2 on target. Welker and Shamah contributed 4 and 3 shots, respectively. In front of the net, Storti recorded a season-high in saves with a total of 5.

This coming weekend, the squad will be on the road to Springfield, Ohio, where they will play Wittenberg University on Sept. 28. The following Monday, Sept. 30, the Spartans will host Ohio Wesleyan University for their final non-conference contest at 7:30 p.m.