BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace women's soccer celebrated senior night and concluded their regular season with a 2-1 Ohio Athletic Conference victory against Marietta College on Tressel Field in the George Finnie Stadium.
With the win, BW (11-8-1, 4-4-1 OAC) secured fifth place in the OAC standings and will take on crosstown rival and fourth-seeded John Carroll University in the opening round of the OAC Tournament in University Heights on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Marietta (8-9-2, 2-6-1) saw its season come to an end, as it had been eliminated from playoff contention by finishing in eighth place.
The weather was on neither team's side as intervals of cold rain made its way onto the field at the beginning of the game. The Pioneers were able to capitalize on a Yellow Jackets mishap early in the first half to score the game's first goal. At the 12th minute, Marietta senior Amanda Augustyniak intercepted a dangerous pass and chipped the ball over the keeper and into the open net. Roughly six minutes later, BW avenged the game's first goal with one of their own. Sophomore midfielder Maddie Farrell (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) controlled ball from just outside the box and pinpointed the low right corner on a well-executed strike for her team-leading fifth goal of the season. Then, Yellow Jackets senior midfielder Kenna Poptic (Dublin/Jerome), who scored the overtime game-winner on a free kick in Wednesday's contest at the University of Mount Union, once again scored on a lengthy free kick that slipped right through the Pioneers' keeper's fingertips and into the net. BW snagged a 2-1 lead approximately two minutes prior to halftime.
Despite their relentless application of offensive pressure with multiple scoring opportunities, the Yellow Jackets failed to record a goal in the second half. Nevertheless, by outshooting their adversaries 5-1 in the frame, BW was able to stifle any threats Marietta could generate before they occurred, thus securing the 2-1 victory and qualification for postseason play.
Yellow Jackets senior goalkeeper and reigning OAC Defensive Player of the Week Emma Bruno (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bethel Park) made one save on two shots faced, improving her record to 11-6-1 on the year.
BW will commence OAC Tournament play on Tuesday, November 5, when they it travels to University Heights to take on crosstown rival John Carroll at 7:00 p.m. in Don Shula Stadium.
