By Sophie Smith
Contributing Writer
Sewanee’s women’s soccer team stepped up to the plate on Sunday afternoon, showing grit and strength as they worked towards their first win of the season. The away game ended with a 2-0 win over the Maryville Scots.
Sewanee got the ball first, with Kiera Giacomini (C’22) kicking the game into action. The highly anticipated game was a display of great teamwork by the Tigers, and the skills of the players were exhibited quickly with beautifully executed passes, crosses, and headers.
Although the first five minutes were like a game of ping-pong, Sewanee scored the first goal of the game only nine minutes in when Gillian Campbell (C’22) sent Chloe Thompson’s (C’21) free kick into the net. The Tigers were in the lead, and the Scots had yet to get the ball past Sewanee’s defense for a shot on goal.
The Maryville team took its first shot on goal 23 minutes into the first half, but they were unable to get it past Sewanee’s superstar goalie, Hanna Judycki (C’22). Four shots by Maryville later, they were still unable to get the ball into the goal, which remained safely guarded by Judycki. With two shots on goal and a point for Sewanee, the first period came to end with the Tigers leading 1-0.
The second half started much more dramatically than the first, with Sewanee’s Sam Morgan (C’22) taking a shot on goal only six minutes in. After a tough fight in which the Scots’ goalie attempted to block the shot, Morgan got the better of her and scored the second point for Sewanee. Although scoring the point was obviously very exciting for Morgan, she says her favorite part of the game “was seeing [her] teammates so happy to be winning the game.”
Many more shots were taken by Morgan and Paige Rupp (C’22) in the remaining time of the second period. Goalkeepers Judycki and Abigail Frazier (C’22) prevented all shots on goal by Maryville, protecting Sewanee’s sweep of the Scots.
The women’s soccer team’s first win of the season leaves the team hopeful for the rest of the season. With a strong set of freshmen, Sewanee’s soccer team clearly has a bright future on the field. Sam Morgan says that at the end of the game, the team was “relieved because we’ve had a really long losing streak and it felt like the hard work finally paid off. As long as we play with heart, I think we will continue to be successful.”
Sewanee’s next home game will be against Mississippi University for Women on Tuesday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m. This team has a lot to offer and is sure to pull through with many more wins in the coming weeks.