ERIE, Pa. – The Baldwin Wallace University women's soccer team picked up its first win of the 2018 season, shutting out Thomas More (Ky.) College 2-0 in the Herb Lauffer Memorial Tournament, hosted by Penn State Behrend College.
BW (1-1) bounced back after a tough 2-0 loss to host Behrend in the opening game of the tournament while Thomas More (0-2) fell 3-0 to fellow Ohio Athletic Conference team Otterbein University.
Most of the first half was an ebb and flow as both teams battled back-and-forth for possession. Thomas More was able to break through the defense first, getting off three shots in a seven-minute span, but BW was able to weather the storm and absorb the pressure. Although the Yellow Jackets didn't get their first look on goal until the 25th minute, freshman midfielder Olivia Kane (Hilliard/Darby) rifled off a long shot from 25 yards out just one minute later for her first collegiate goal and the Yellow Jackets first goal of the 2018 season. For the final 19 minutes that were played in the half, only one more shot was taken between the two teams.
In the second half, the Yellow Jackets continued to bring energy and found themselves with a few more scoring opportunities that could have ended the game even earlier. One came when senior three-time All-OAC and Academic All-OAC forward Rachel Bender (Massillon/Jackson) hit the post in the 54th minute while senior midfielder Cassandra Waickman (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) sent another ball over the net following a corner kick from junior midfielder Kenna Poptic (Dublin/Jerome). As the clock wound down, however, a Thomas More foul awarded a free kick to the Yellow Jackets. Poptic took the kick and was able to find freshman defender Anna Wenzinger (Columbus/Bishop Watterson), who headed the ball deep into the Saints net for her first collegiate goal that put away the 2-0 victory.
Junior Academic All-OAC goalkeeper Emma Bruno (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bethel Park) recorded her first win as well as her first shutout of the season as she only had to make two saves.
BW will begin a three-game home stand on Saturday, Sept. 8, when non-conference foe Oberlin College comes to Berea for home opener at 12 p.m. on the new Tressel Field surface at George Finnie Stadium. The Yellow Jackets will then host Albion (Mich.) College the following day on Sunday, Sept. 9, at 1 p.m.
