By Christopher Shaw · Staff Writer
Defender Hannah Mitchell scored the lone goal against W&J. (Matt Durisko | Magnolia Media PA)
The Grove City College women’s soccer team traveled to face the Allegheny Gators for a 1-1 tie Saturday and defeated Washington & Jefferson 1-0 Tuesday.
The Wolverines and the Gators remained undefeated in Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) play.
In the seventh minute of the first game, a senior defender Megan Tischler shot was deflected into the middle of the field. Tori Stevenson collected it with her back to the goal, spun and fired a long shot from outside the box over the keeper and into the top corner. The unassisted effort was her 13th of the season in 15 matches. Grove City (11-1-2, 8-0-2 PAC) took the early 1-0 lead.
The minutes continued ticking by as Grove City and Allegheny (6-5-3, 4-0-4) traded possessions and shots. Grove City piled on 20 more shots but could not find the back of the net.
With darkness falling and only six minutes remaining, Allegheny’s Madeline Schneider drove up the pitch and slid a perfect through ball into the box. Senior goalkeeper Maddie Mills closed down from goal, but the Allegheny striker slipped the ball around her and scored.
The Wolverines could not mount a final effort to win.
“Last-minute goals are never an easy mental battle to come back from, but they are an opportunity for us to test our mental toughness,” sophomore Ady Waters said.
The Wolverines outshot Allegheny 21-8. Of those, 13 were shots on goal for Grove City compared to Allegheny’s three. The Wolverines posted at least four goals in their previous four matches.
In its penultimate PAC match against Washington & Jefferson, Grove City relied on senior defender Hannah Mitchell, who netted the game’s only goal for the Wolverines off a free kick in the 34th minute. She has scored two set-piece goals this season.
The Wolverines outshot the Presidents 15-7. Mills also logged her 25th career win, tying her for the sixth-most in program history. The victory also marked the monumental 400th in college women’s soccer history.
As of Wednesday, Grove City sits atop the PAC standings with one conference match remaining. The Wolverines currently lead second-place Saint Vincent, who has two PAC matches to play, by four points, 26-22. Grove City will claim the No. 1 seed in the PAC tournament with a win against Geneva or if Saint Vincent fails to win out.
Looking at the national tournament, 43 of the 64 qualifying spots go to conference champions. The NCAA Performance Index rankings fill the remaining 21. As of the initial Oct. 14 rankings, Grove City is the 26th team in the nation, 25 places ahead of Franciscan – the next highest-ranked PAC team.
Tuesday’s conference finale against Geneva is also Grove City’s second-to-last regular season match. As always, team culture remains a focus for the rest of the season.
“I am enjoying how supportive the team has been,” Freshman Taylor Leary said. Leary has started all season and is second on the in minutes played to Mitchell. “From my first game, I received so much encouragement, and I felt as though I have been part of this team for years.”
The women will conclude their regular season at home against Penn State Behrend Oct. 30.
