EMMA REID, Special to The Denisonian— Denison women’s soccer has felt the euphoric feeling of winning and the crushing moments of defeat this week. 

On Wednesday, September 16th, they beat Franklin College 4-0. 

Kelly O’Neill ‘21 brought the team their first goal 11 minutes into the game after Leland Keller ‘23 set her up with a smooth cross. 

The second goal came 65 minutes into the game. 

Amy Chiero ‘23 scored her first collegiate goal by being in the right place at the right time. 

She tapped the ball into the goal after Abby King sent the ball into the box. 

Reilly Hammond ‘19 scored the third goal with an assist from Brianna Lisbon ‘21, and O’Neill finished the game off with a goal at the eighty eight minute mark.

On Saturday, September 21st, the team unfortunately lost to Messiah 4-0. 

The team is disappointed with how Saturday went but determined to keep pushing and improving. 

“The past couple of games have been tough, but we’re keeping our heads high and moving forward,” Maddie Coyne ‘21 said. 

Throughout the ups and downs of this week, the team have managed to keep their attitudes up. 

“I’d say our strengths this week have been positivity and perseverance,” Coyne added. 

She also mentioned the team’s goals of “bouncing back and dominating the conference.” 

Coyne is excited for the rest of the season no matter the results because she refers to the team as “a family dynamic with a built in support system.” 

She feels the least appealing part of being on the team is “the time commitment and the mental/physical exhaustion,” which probably applies to most collegiate sports. 

Patil Tcholakian ‘22 is the goalkeeper for Denison women’s soccer. She talked about what the team has learned from their losses this year. 

“This week we learned a lot. From our first game we had a lot of good scoring opportunities and that showed since we got 4 goals and we had 3 people who scored them. Our game on Saturday was a good learning experience for us, our strength was definitely our defensive shape and just our overall hard work,” she said. 

For Ariel Loevy ‘22, she feels “the team has been playing as a unit on the field. We are moving at the same time and filling for each other. I would say our defensive pressure continues to improve and really adds to our attack.”

Throughout the highs and lows of playing a sport, the women stay close. 

“My favorite part about being on the team is our locker-room, pre-practice and pre-game, dancing and singing parties. We all just dance and it is a lot of fun,” Tcholakian remarked. 

Loevy talked about the connection the team has. 

She says, “we are one big family and I think that’s clear to see on and off the field. We love spending time with each other and we have each others backs.”

Goal wise, the team was consistent in their desire to win the regular NCAC season, NCAC tournament and receive a bid to the NCAA tournament.