Written by Alexis Barton
Women’s soccer has long been one of the most competitive teams at Roanoke College. This season is no different, as the Maroons have remained amongst the top schools in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference with a 6-1 overall record. Coach Phil Benne, in his 32nd season with the Maroons, is looking to win yet another ODAC title with this talented group of women.
Through their first 5 games of the season, the Maroons put up a solid effort against every opponent they met. In each of those games, the Maroons won by a margin of at least two goals, and sophomore goalkeeper Taylor Gallik only let one goal slip past throughout that span of games. Their talent was on display most noticeable during the 2021 Roanoke Invitational Showcase, where the Maroons faced off against Millsaps College (MS) and Farmingdale State (NY), resulting in 6-0 and 4-1 victories, respectively. Against Millsaps, the Maroons were led in their offensive attack by freshman midfielder Makayla Metzer who scored two of the Roanoke goals. Her efforts were bolstered with goals from Lily Pawliczak, Tessa McMillan, and Logan Tyler. Against Farmingdale, the Maroons had their first goal-against of the season, but were led once again by the efforts of Makayla Metzer with one goal, alongside Cameron Shackford with one goal, and Morgan O’Neill with two goals.
After their early success, the team hit a small roadblock against Christopher Newport. The Captains scored early and repeatedly throughout the first half. The Roanoke defense was able to step up and hold them off during the second half, but despite the efforts from Morgan O’Neill, the Maroons were only able to make it a 4-1 game. The loss was their first of the season, and it has been their only loss since then.
The Maroons took on Pfeiffer on September 18th in one of their final non-conference games of the season. As they got back into their groove, Makayla Metzler started off the scoring effort from Roanoke 20 minutes into the first half. Her goal was followed shortly by a beautiful pass from Eliza Ryan to Logan Tyler to make it 2-0 in favor of Roanoke. Goalkeeper Carrington Lippi was able to keep Pfeiffer off the scoreboard with a solid effort against their 2 shots on goal.
As the Maroons continue into their season, they look optimistically ahead to conference play, starting Saturday, September 25th at Washington & Lee. The team is gearing up for another shot at the ODAC championships, and they will be the team to watch as the action heats up this fall.
