Written by: Zachary Worstell (zdw001@marietta.edu)
While they didn’t have a winning record, the Pioneer’s women’s soccer team had their best record since the 2019 season. Marietta College finished 7-8-3 this season, improving on their 5-9-2 record from last season. The team as a whole improved as they have focused on passing efficiency and ball possession. Furthermore, their young goalkeeping tandem as shown promise. As the Pios prepare for next season, let’s look back on the year that the women’s soccer team had.
The season began in late August on the road in Latrobe. Saint Vincent University was able to beat Marietta for the first time since 2018 by scoring a goal within the last two minutes of the game. This close loss came at the last second and did not deter the team as they looked down a home stretch.
The September home stretch began against Washington & Jefferson where the teams played to a 1-1 tie. Over that weekend, Marietta was able to shutout Allegheny College 2-0 and battled Mount St. Joseph to a 2-2 draw. Next, Marietta hosted the College of Wooster and while the Pios were ahead 2-1 at the half, the Fighting Scots came back for a 3-2 victory for Wooster. Marietta bounced back from this loss by scoring three goals in ten minutes for a 3-0 shutout win over Geneva College.
The Pioneers continued their momentum on their next road matchup against Chatham University. Here, Marietta scored a season-high four goals in their 4-1 victory over the Cougars. For their next game, Marietta traveled back home for their Alumni BBQ. They invited Kenyon College whom they were able to beat for the first time in program history. The Pioneers silenced their offense and were able to put in two for a 2-0 win.
For the Pioneers final non-conference matchup, they traveled to face off against Oberlin College. Unfortunately, Oberlin continued their winning streak against Marietta and came up 3-0 over the Pioneers. With this loss, that put the Pios at a 4-3-2 record before they entered conference play.
The first OAC matchup was a challenge as Marietta visited Ohio Northern University and suffered a 5-1 loss in Ada. Fortunately, senior Midfielder Angelene Kontul was able to score in their next game against Otterbein University. This one goal was all the Pioneers needed as they beat Otterbein 1-0.
Senior Day against Heidelberg University followed this. However, Marietta was unable to play catchup and lost 2-1. The Pioneer’s OAC struggles continued as they went to a scoreless draw against Capital University and got shutout at home by John Carroll 0-2.
Marietta bounced back from this loss with the help from senior Forward Emma Egli. Egli scored two goals within ten seconds to help the Pioneers to a 2-1 victory over Muskingum University. However, Marietta suffered their worst loss of the season in their next game. Baldwin Wallace University got the better of Marietta and outscored them 5-0. In their final home game of the year, the Pios had a strong 3-1 win over Mount Union. And in the last game of the season, the Pios were unable to score and lost 3-0 to Wilmington College. With this loss Marietta was unable to make the OAC tournament.
This year, the team was led offensively by Angelene Kontul. Kontul scored 11 goals and had an assist. Mallory Sullivan and Ryah Haidad led the team in assists with 4 and 5 respectively. Seniors Emma Egli and Taylor Sloan each had eight points this year.
Defensively, Freshmen Maisee Carrier started ten games this year and finished with a 3-4-3 individual record and a .733 save percentage. All three of her wins were shutouts. Sophomore Sarah Legg finished with a 4-4-0 record, two shutouts, and a 0.683 save percentage
While the season is over, the team is preparing for the 2025 season by looking for future Pioneers. Head Coach Zack Votra is in Cincinnati this weekend and Assistant Coach Daniella Blitz is in Philadelphia. For more information, visit the team on Instagram at mc_wsoccer.
