BEREA, Ohio – The Marietta College women's soccer team dropped a hard-fought 1-0 decision at Baldwin Wallace University Saturday (Oct. 31) afternoon in their regular-season finale. Despite the setback, the Pioneers secured a spot in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament and will make their first postseason appearance since 2003.
Baldwin Wallace scored the game's lone goal in the 35th minute when Emma Luther found the back of the net at the 34:16 mark of the opening half. The Yellow Jackets controlled much of the offensive possession, outshooting Marietta 15-6 and holding a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks. However, the Pioneers' defense and goalkeeper
Francesca Agliolo (San Gabriel, Calif./Mayfield Senior) kept things close throughout the afternoon. Agliolo recorded six saves, including three in each half.
Marietta's best scoring opportunities came off the foot of
Jaylyn Thornton (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial), who accounted for five of the team's six shots. Thornton tested Baldwin Wallace goalkeeper Mackenzie Butcher in the 29th minute and again in the 79th minute. Her closest chance came with just under eight minutes remaining when a shot struck the left post, narrowly missing the equalizer.
Jailynn Woodruff (Wooster, Ohio/Northwestern) recorded Marietta's only other shot on goal, forcing a save midway through the first half.
The Pioneers continued to push forward in the closing minutes and earned a pair of corner kicks in the final eight minutes, but were unable to find the tying goal.
With the regular season complete, Marietta enters postseason play with a 6-9-3 overall record and a 3-4-1 mark in OAC competition. The Pioneers will look to continue their historic season Tuesday when they travel to face Otterbein in the OAC Tournament First Round. The postseason appearance marks Marietta's first conference tournament berth since 2003.
Fans can follow all of 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.
