Written by Caleb Childress
A suspenseful season has come to an end. This past week, the Women’s soccer team competed in the ODAC quarterfinals, starting with a game against Randolph-Macon College. At Kerr Stadium, the Maroons had an outstanding performance beating the Yellow Jackets by two goals. Kathryn Van Orden and Meagan Ryan’s early goals helped secure the 2-0 win for Roanoke and moved the team into the semifinals.
At the ODAC semifinals, November 4, they faced Lynchburg College in Virginia Beach. The Hornets scored twice in the second half but a last-minute goal from Tori Young, freshman, helped bring the Maroons back into the game. But unfortunately, the Hornets came away with the victory. This 2-1 defeat ended the Maroon’s 2017 season and Lynchburg went on to beat Bridgewater College in the championship.
However, the Maroons still had a successful season as they continuously posted great results each week during the regular season. “I think our team accomplished a lot this season. One of our goals we accomplished was to host the first round of the ODAC Tournament where we had a great performance against RMC in Kerr Stadium winning 2-0. And, in the classroom, we earned our fifth straight United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award for a team GPA of 3.23, which was also one of our goals,” said Coach Benne.
Over the course of the season, the Maroons racked up over 350 shots and 34 goals while allowing only 15 goals. Kathryn Van Orden, sophomore, led the team in scoring with four goals while Ellie Schad, freshman, Tori Young,freshman, Hailey Davis, sophomore,and Caelen DeMut, freshman, followed closely, each with three goals. In defense, Goalkeeper Chris Martin, sophomore, made 70 saves and Caroline Liebel, senior, made 21 saves.
The team finished third overall in the ODAC with a record of 11-7-2 and were ranked ninth in the NCAA South Atlantic Region. “Competing in a very competitive NCAA Division Three women’s soccer conference, we feel like the program is in good shape and poised for continued success” said Benne.
