9/27/14 vs. Earlham

This past Saturday we took on Earlham at home in our second to last game before our conference play. The first half started a little slow as we began to get our feet and a good rhythm for the game. 30 minutes in we had our first goal shot by Claire Quinn off a long ball played by Morgan Austin. After the first goal was put in the net we really got rolling! Entering the second half we picked up the pace, kept possession, and went on the offensive! With a total of 15 shots in the second half we were bound to sink some into the net! In the 63rd minute of play Mary Bushee finished a chance off a ball played by Shelby Johnson making the game 2-0. Only 9 minutes later Taylor Atkins used her body to beat the keeper near post off a corner kick played by Shelby. Then only 3 minutes after, Shelby scored by intercepting a misplayed ball by Earlham's defense. The final score of the game was 4-0 giving us the current record of 6-3!

The whole team really improved on our speed of play, movement off the ball, and our decision making throughout the game. Once we got a feel for the play we began to combine allowing us to get into the offensive half. We are striving to see those same aspects as we take on Ohio Wesleyan tonight at 7pm! We travel to their fields with the objective of another W before we hit our conference play!

Atlanta Trip

This past weekend our Women's Soccer team traveled down to Atlanta Georgia to take on Agnes Scott and Emory! The drive was long but the girls made themselves comfortable with lots of movies and naps. The day we arrived we were able to relax in our hotel and prepare for Fridays game against Agnes Scott.

On Friday September 19th the team kicked off at 4pm against Agnes Scott College (ASC) and we came out strong. Holding the majority of the possession of the half we were able to slot a ball across the box to find Chloe Brown's feet in the 16th minute giving us a lead of 1-0. The slot came from Becca Cartmill after she won the ball and dribbled at their defense and soon found Chloe at the top of the box. After the first goal the pace slowed slightly but our defense held strong in the back as our offense worked the ball looking for more opportunities. Going into the second half the Crusaders came out strong and continued to possess the ball. Even though we had many scoring opportunities we had troubles finding the back of the net until the last 4 minutes of the game. At 86 minutes Mary Bushee crossed the ball and found Taylor Atkins on the far side who placed it in the back of the net. Only 42 seconds later Mary Bushee, once again, found a pass to the top of the 18 box to Becca Cartmill who struck it nicely and was able to put it in the net to give the Crusaders a 3-0 finish. This game gave us an opportunity to work out some kinks and get our legs going after a long cramped bus ride. Putting this game away was a positive start to the weekend.

On Saturday the team was welcomed by the DeMessa and Brand families at the DeMessa house for lunch and dessert. They prepared a delicious spread for the girls and homemade cupcakes for after! The girls got a home cooked meal and were able to unwind and enjoy the company. We really appreciate everything the DeMessa and Brand families did for us while in Atlanta! After lunch we headed to Stone Mountain to see the laser light show. It was a great experience for them to see the show along with some history on the Battle for Atlanta during the Civil War. The show was a mix of history, modern music, and everything in between.

Sunday we began to prepare for our game against Emory which kicked off at 1pm. Going into the game the girls knew that it would be a battle, the think southern heat would weigh them down, and that their best efforts were needed throughout the game. The game began and the Crusaders came out strong moving the ball quickly and really putting it to Emory. The game went back and forth as both teams pressed on attempting to create scoring opportunities. In the 11th and 39th minute however the Emory Eagles scored ending the half with a 0-2 lead by Emory. Going into the second half the girls got a second wind and came out battling to get on the board. Only 3 minutes into the half Chloe Brown scored of a failed clearance from the Emory keeper. She volleyed the ball into the goal putting us on the board for a score of 1-2. The whole team continued to battle and despite having more scoring chances were unsuccessful. Emory scored once again to give the final score of 1-3. Even though the game ended in a loss for us, the girls truly battled hard and left everything on the field. Not only did they play as a team but they never gave up on the game and kept fighting defensively and offensively through the pain and heat to try to get on the board again.

The trip overall was a success and a great bonding opportunity for the girls. A lot was accomplished during this trip and each day we will continue to grow and get better together as a team. Our next game is on Saturday, September 27th at 4pm at home against Earlham.

9/14/14 vs. Carnegie Mellon

Yesterday Capital Women's Soccer faced Carnegie Mellon at home at 4:30pm. The first half was a strong battle from both teams in attempt to gain possession and create scoring opportunities. Our defense held strong to keep the Tartans out of our defensive third. Alexis Brand had great saves in the box to keep the game tied at zeros going into the half.

As the second half began the Crusaders came out strong defensively once again and the game faced a physical battle as we kept them from our goal and attempted to attack theirs. Even though we tried to get good looks at goal the Tartan defense also remained strong and was able to stop our shots and our attacking drives. Late in the second half however Carnegie Mellon broke through and landed a shot on goal leaving us down 0-1. With only 9 minutes left in play the Crusaders went on the offensive quickly and made every attempt to tie up the game. Although the effort was there, time ran out leaving the Tartans as the victors in this match.

Even though the game resulted in a loss there was much to learn from playing the #6 team in the nation. The Crusaders made positive strides on the defensive end and realized areas of improvement on the attacking end. This loss will only drive us to continually get better every day and fuel our desire to win as we take the road to Atlanta this coming weekend. We face Agnes Scott this Friday and Emory this coming Sunday. Both are opportunities to be excellent and we will accept the challenges head on!

9/12 vs. Waynesburg

This Friday we faced Waynesburg at home and came out with a rough start. As we tried to find our own rhythm to the game we unfortunately gave up a goal in the 21st minute. A lofted ball that soared over our keepers head put the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets up with a one goal lead. As the game continued we struggled to get our feet and although we had many scoring opportunity we were unsuccessful in finishing them. In the 79th minute, however, a streak of passion and effort came from Becca Cartmill when she scrambled in the box and was able to find the back of the net! She was assisted by Mariah Richards from a ball served into the box. With the game tied, and not much time left, the Crusaders went to work fighting for the lead. Only 8 minutes later was the game winner struck by Taylor Atkins. The goal was the product of a corner kick by Shelby Johnson. As the ball bobbled around the box Taylor put contact on the ball and found the back of the net allowing us to take the lead for the last minute of the game. We held strong for the last minute defensively and were able to see the game out with a win.

Although this game was not perfect by any means for us, individual efforts pulled us through as we ended up on top. The Crusaders have much to work on but even when we don't play our best we are still able to find a way to win. All of our talents and assets will be put to the test today as we take on the ranked Carnegie Mellon at home at 4:30pm. Come out and support the Women's Soccer Crusaders as they battle the Tartans.

CONGRATULATIONS BECCA!

This past week Sophomore Becca Cartmill, Tememcula, CA, earned the Ohio Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors for her 3 goal & 1 assist performance against PSU-A & Juniata.  We are very excited for Becca and believe it will be just the first of many awards for our Crusaders this season!

Capital Invitational

This past weekend Capital Woman's Soccer had back to back games here at Bernlohr for the Capital University Invitational Tournament.

During Friday's game, Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.) scored the first goal in the 26th minute. Going into the half we were down 0-1 but only a few minutes after play resumed Capital was set up for a corner kick. When the ball was played out of the box Claire Quinn met it with a one touch shot from the outskirts of the 18 box tying up the game! Only 10 minutes later, Capital's Amanda Kachaylo scored again to gain the lead. Only having the lead for 8 minutes, MSOE scored to tie up the game 2-2. After that goal the Crusaders decided to pick up the pace and attack the goal with tenacity because only minutes after Emily Krause scored to once again take the lead making the score 3-2. Soon after, Taylor Atkins got a flighted ball in the air where she had a first time shot that went over the keepers head to make the game 4-2. The Crusaders kept off MSOE for a good 10 minutes until they scored again in the 83rd minute. At 4-3, the game came to a close with Capital as the Victor. Although there was a back and forth battle for the lead, Capital came out on top  and ended the day with a 3-0-0 record.

Only 24 hours later the Capital Crusaders kicked off again against Allegheny (Pa.). Throughout the first half both teams were neck and neck as we battled to gain the lead. Going into the second half the game was still scoreless at 0-0. In the 65th minute however, Shelby Johnson received a pass from Becca Cartmill and was able to break away and make the shot leaving the Crusaders with a 1 goal lead. Despite all efforts to keep the lead, we were scored on by a corner kick chance which tied the game and then scored on again from a shot just outside the 18 box. Once trailing, the team gave much effort to tie the game once again but had no success. The final score was 1-2 leaving the Crusaders with an overall record of 3-1-0.

This past weekend brought a tough loss but it only fuels the fires within us to get better as a team and strive everyday to be excellent. There were learning opportunities and the loss gave way to the ability to grow from pain and disappointment. This week will be a golden opportunity to fix the problems experienced this weekend and focus on our next challenge coming this Weekend. Capital takes on Waynesburg at Bernlohr Stadium on Friday at 5:30pm. On Sunday we face Carnegie Mellon at home at 4:30. Two great chances to show our strengths and assets!

On The Road

This past weekend Capital Woman's soccer took off to Pennsylvania to take on Penn St Altoona and Juniata back to back! Leaving early Friday morning for our 5 hour journey to Altoona we had no idea the difficulties that we would endure. Once we arrived safe and sound at Penn St Altoona our girls put aside the struggles and focused on the task in front of us. We came out on top with a win 3-1 and goals were scored by Amanda Kachaylo(1) and Becca Cartmill(2)!

We stayed over night and and woke up ready to tackle the next challenge, two games in two days! On our drive to Juniata however we witnessed something no one could have predicted. An Amish horse and buggy was in an accident with an SUV which occurred just moments before we passed by.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Mary and Daniel Swarey along with their horse. May you rest in peace.
Seeing this terrible tragedy left an impact on all of us and gave us a reminder that every life is precious and to be thankful everyday for the gifts we are given.

Arriving at the Juniata campus the mood was sad and our minds were elsewhere other than focusing on the game, which was to be expected. Although we could have let this occurrence take over our emotions, focus and mentality, we banded together to finish our last obstacle of the weekend. We were exhausted from a game just 24 hours before, our hearts were heavy with grief for the Swarey family, and we had every reason to give up. Even with these aspects against us we, once again, came out on top with win 2-1! Goals came from Amanda Kachaylo and Becca Cartmill!

Even though we had struggles and difficulties along the way, ultimately our team was able to come together and do what we set out to do this past weekend. Two wins in two days truly shows the strength our team has not only together but individually as well.

Next weekend, September 5th and 6th, we take on MSOE and Allegheny here at our Bernlohr stadium. Friday at 3:30pm and Saturday at 3pm! Please come out and support your Crusaders with purple pride! Can't wait to see you there!