By Lauren Zedlar
Elm Staff Writer
The Washington College women’s soccer team opened their 2021 season on Thursday, Sept. 2 at Kirby Field with a non-conference match.
They faced the Stevenson University Mustangs and walked away with a 3–0 win.
“We started off very strong these last two weeks during preseason, everyone is excited to finally showcase all the hard work we have been putting into the field,” junior Paige O’Connell said. “Our team chemistry is really good this year.”
Senior Erin O’Reilly scored the first goal for the Shorewomen at the end of the second half with 23 minutes remaining, assisted by sophomore Ellen Daly.
Two more unassisted goals followed shortly after shot by junior Lauren Maynor and junior Ellie Morral. This capped the score at 3–0, Shorewomen.
Senior goalkeeper Noah Smith made two saves throughout the game.
“I think we will be a threatening team this year because we have the talent and determination, which will give us the ability to perform very well this season,” O’Connell said.
This win marked the Shorewomen’s ninth consecutive opening day win.
The Shorewomen will host their next match this Wednesday, Sept. 8, at 4 p.m. against Hood College.
The WC men’s soccer team started their season off strong with a 3–0 win against the Salisbury Seagulls. This was their first time beating the Seagulls since 1989.
“We’ve all been itching to play again and winning yesterday just gives us a bit of proof that we’ve been working hard enough to prove a lot of people wrong this year,” junior Austin Heid said.
Senior Greg Adams was scored off of a penalty kick at the end of the first half to take the lead over the Seagulls at 1–0.
Six minutes into the second half, senior James Strine expanded the Shoremen’s lead with another goal assisted by junior Cole Gifford.
Sophomore Christopher Pinto followed with the last goal of the game, setting the final score at 3–0, Shoremen. This was Pinto’s first career goal.
Saturday, Sept. 4, marked the start of the Athey Cup for the Shoremen with their first game against the Rutgers University-Newark Scarlet Raiders.
The Athey Cup is a tournament that the WC men’s soccer team hosts every year in the begining of their season in honor of Ed Athey ’47, former coach and athletic director for WC Athletics.
For the entire first half, the Scarlet Raiders led 2–0, until sophomore Chris Comber was able to head the ball into the goal with just under 30 seconds left in the half. This was also Comber’s first career goal.
During the second half, Strine tied the score off of a free kick at 2–2. Not five minutes after, junior Harrison Malone scored again for the Shoremen, assisted by Strine, and finalized their win.
The game finished at 3–2, Shoremen. Strine was named the Goose Nation TV Shoreman of the Game.
On Sunday, Sept. 5, the Shoremen faced the
Montclair State University Redhawks for their final game of the Athey Cup.
The Redhawks scored three unanswered goals in the first half, allowing them a stable lead for the rest of the game.
Although the Shoremen had three shots on the goal, senior Del Jenkins was the only player to hit net within the last five minutes of the second half.
Jenkins was named Goose Nation TV Shoreman of the Game.
The final score ended at 3–1, Scarlet Raiders. After the weekend of playing, the Shoremen’s record currently stands at 2–1–0.
Their next match takes place on Wednesday, Sept. 8, at 4 p.m. at Goucher College to play the Gophers.
Photo by Izze Rios