COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Marietta College women's soccer team battled one of the Ohio Athletic Conference's top teams for 90 minutes Wednesday (Oct. 21) evening, but the host Comets found the breakthrough late in the second half to claim a 1-0 victory. The Pioneers fall to 5-8-2 overall and 2-3-0 in OAC play, while Capital improved to 13-2-0 overall and 6-0-0 in the conference.
"That's the best team in the conference," said Marietta head coach
Zack Votra. "We just gave them a match that they probably haven't seen all season."
The Pioneers generated the first quality chances of the contest behind forward
Jaylyn Thornton (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial), who tested Capital goalkeeper Lauren Hinshaw with a shot in the eighth minute before forcing another save less than 11 minutes later. Capital controlled many of the possessions throughout the opening half, but Pioneer goalkeeper
Francesca Agliolo (San Gabriel, Calif./Mayfield Senior) repeatedly kept the match scoreless. She turned away attempts by Kendra Kovacs in the 21st minute, Payton Childers in the 28th minute, and Mayci Sayre moments later. Marietta's defense held firm through the remainder of the half, sending the teams to halftime locked in a scoreless draw.
The Pioneers nearly struck first moments of the second when Thornton put a shot on goal just 15 seconds into the second half, but Hinshaw was there for the save. Capital increased its pressure as the half progressed. Agliolo came up with several key stops, including saves on Childers in the 61st and 64th minutes and back-to-back saves against Brooklyn Herbert in the 74th and 75th minutes.
The Comets finally broke through in the 77th minute. Maggie Springer delivered a pass to Brinley Barnett, who finished the opportunity for the match's lone goal and the eventual game-winner. Marietta pushed forward during the final stages of the match looking for an equalizer, but Capital's defense held the Pioneers without a shot over the final 20 minutes.
Thornton led the Marietta offense with six shots and four shots on goal, while
Katie Heighberger (LaGrange, Ohio/Saint Joseph Academy) added the Pioneers' other attempt. Agliolo's seven-save performance highlighted a defensive effort that kept Marietta within striking distance throughout the evening.
"We came in with a game plan and executed," concluded Votra. "This match easily could have been flipped in our favor. Really proud of the team."
Marietta returns to action Saturday (Oct. 24) afternoon when they host Muskingum University. The matchup begins at 1 p.m. and they will honor the team's seniors in a pre-game ceremony.
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on X and Instagram.
