BEXLEY, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University women's soccer team fell 2-0 to Capital University in an Ohio Athletic Conference quarterfinal game inside Bernlohr Stadium.
The two teams matched up to begin OAC action at the end of September with the Crusaders (13-5) emerging victorious 4-2 while the Yellow Jackets (11-7-1) looked to rewrite the story in the postseason.
BW caused its opponent some initial headaches with a 3-5-2 formation to start the game. While the Crusaders struggled to adjust to the new look, the Yellow Jackets pressed the issue on offense and forced the reigning OAC Defensive Player of the Week, goalkeeper Kelly Bachmann, into some early saves. Once Capital finally got its rhythm back, the Crusaders began their attack and rifled off four consecutive shots. The BW back line of senior Academic All-OAC defender Bri Osborne (Cincinnati/Batavia), freshman defender Aundrea Scattino (Girard/Niles McKinley) and freshman defender Amanda Donahue (Morrow/Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy) rose to the challenge and were able to keep the game scoreless until the 40th minute when Capital opened up a 1-0 lead.
A controversial offside call opened the second half, negating what would have been an equalizing goal from senior three-time All-OAC and Academic All-OAC forward Rachel Bender (Massillon/Jackson). Just a few minutes later, Bender was able to draw the Crusader goalie out into the field and had a look at a wide open net. Diving, Bachmann got her fingertips on the ball for the save and preserved the 1-0 lead. With the game growing more physical, a BW foul set up Capital's final goal of the night as the free kick found Jordan Fike for a 2-0 lead in the 58th minute. The rest of the game passed uneventfully as both teams battled back-and-forth for possession with a few shots in between. The Yellow Jackets' most dangerous scoring opportunity came late in the game when a Crusader foul set up a free kick that, after being banged around the box, was sent wide left by senior midfielder Cassandra Waickman (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls).
In the net, junior Academic All-OAC goalkeeper Emma Bruno (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bethel Park) made a season-high tying eight saves on 10 shots on goal. Capital held the advantage in shots (20-11), shots on goal (10-4) and corner kicks (8-7) while the game featured 30 total fouls, 15 on each side.
Although Bender, Osborne and Waickman all played their final game in Brown and Gold, BW only loses those three to graduation and will return the rest of its roster as the Yellow Jackets seek continued growth in the OAC in 2019.
