DCWS Looks to Bounce Back
(Defiance, OH)- The Defiance College Women’s Soccer team was back in action recently, playing in two games that were home against Oberlin and Malone. They played Oberlin on Saturday, September 9th, and Malone on Tuesday, September 12th.
DC came into the match against Oberlin having a record of 1-1, while Oberlin, a small town near Cleveland, came in at 3-0. The game did not start off how the Jackets wanted, with a goal in the 14th minute followed by a quick one in the 16th minute. The Yeowomen of Oberlin continued to tack on with two more goals, one in the 23rd, and one in the 26th. They then tacked on another right before the first half expired with a goal in the 44th minute.
The second half was not as bad for DC, only allowing one goal in the 45 minutes. It came in the 66th minute. During this half though, the Lady Yellow Jackets were able to pull 4 shots on goal, yet none reached the back of the net. The final score of the game was 6-0, and our women fell to 1-2 on the season.
The Jackets did follow up Tuesday against a strong Division 2 opponent, Malone University. Malone came into the season 1-1, and are also a division higher than Defiance. Malone participates in the G-Mac, which has schools from Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee.
The Jackets again fell behind early, having Malone score in the 7th minute, and following up in the 23rd. They followed with yet another goal in the 43rd. DCWS continued to fight though, even though the 3-0 deficit. They came into the half feeling like it was a good quarter, going neck and neck with a Division 2 team.
After the half, Defiance was able to quiet down Malone’s strong offense. This was lead by sophomore Madi Bowman, who had a stellar game defending the net. She had 18 total saves, only allowing 3 goals, while Malone was able to take a total 42 shots on the net.
This positive experience versus a strong opponent is exactly what the Jackets needed in order to keep the season going in the right direction. Going into these games with high hopes, they were not able to pull out victorious, but are ready to put it behind them and look forward onto the next games.
Sophomore Jordan Furko truly believed this, and after the game stated, “Our season this year is all about building together as a team-brick by brick. The game on Saturday was kind of a rude awakening, but we try to use it as a mortar moment. Just like how you would use mortar to build a brick wall and make it sturdy, we use those moments do the same for us. On Tuesday, we may not have came out with a win, but we played much better as a team and we really started to connect. We have a lot of good players on our team and I’m excited to see how the rest of the season goes!”
The Women’s Soccer Team plays yet another strong opponent on Saturday, September 16th, when they travel to Ohio Wesleyan, followed by another strong opponent next Wednesday, September 20th, against the Mount Union Raiders. As always, if you see a DCWS player, wish them luck, and Go Jackets!
Written by Zac Bires
