Women’s Soccer
After two solid performances in exhibition matches, the Piedmont women’s soccer team officially opened its 2024 season going 1-1-1 in three nonconference matches.
The Lady Lions opened their season in front of a large crowd at the Walker Athletic Complex against Toccoa Falls on Sept. 4, finishing in a 1-1 draw.
“We have a very young team and a lot of players played in new roles.” said head coach Timmy McCormack. “However, I’m confident in this team based on what I’ve seen from our leadership and the hunger that exists in the group to get better day in, day out.”
Piedmont’s only goal was scored by sophomore Taylor Crawford at 15:57. Crawford’s deep kick resulted in her first collegiate points. Piedmont out-shot Toccoa Falls 30-4, with freshman Kylin Rothwell being the most aggressive with six shots. Although Piedmont frequently attacked the Toccoa Falls defense, they were unable to capitalize on many of their opportunities. Toccoa Falls also padded the stat sheet with nine saves.
The Lady Lions then traveled to Atlanta on Sept. 6 to battle the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels, losing 2-0.
“I think the best thing to take away from this is two minor mistakes may have cost us a game. However, in the second half the team locked in, focused on the coaching points, and we went 0-0,” said assistant coach Stephanie Lamm. “I think a lot of it is still nervous jitters, especially playing a very physical and strong team this early in the season. Once they settle in, I think this group is going to be an offensive powerhouse.”
The Lady Lions came in on a 6-game-win streak vs Oglethorpe, but this time they couldn’t overcome the Petrels’ two early goals — both of which came within the first 25 minutes of the game. However, the Lions never gave up as they put pressure with eight shots on goal,
being shut down by great goal-keeping play. A bright spot in the loss was freshman Kylin Rothwell, who led the Lions with three total shots and two shots on goal.
Piedmont capped its three-game stretch on a positive note, dominating the Mississippi University for Women 6-0 on Sept. 7.
Junior Sierra Judson scored two goals within three minutes in the first half. Paige Kluba, Molly Fitzpatrick, Alison Witkiewicz and Sydney Spitzer each scored a goal of their own.
“It was a good bounce back after two frustrating games during the week,” said senior Chloe Spradlin. “We just have to make sure we don’t get too high up because we have three big games coming up this week.”
The result moved the team into the win column with a record of 1-1-1. Piedmont will play Brevard College at home on Sept. 11, at 7 p.m.
—Grant Prather, Caden Hardman, Gel Lux
Men’s Soccer
The men’s soccer team went 2-1 in their three matches last week to bring their record to 4-1.
The Lions dominated Warren Wilson College on Sept. 4, scoring six goals and shutting out the Owls for a 6-0 win.
“Our overall team chemistry has helped us have success,” said sophomore defender Nico Eberhart. “We have a lot of returners to lead the team and help the freshman play at a high level.”
There were three different goal scorers for the Lions, the first coming from senior Jason Aussin at 7:06. Not even three minutes later at 9:56 sophomore Davis Knight scored his first goal and would not stop there, as he scored three more throughout the match. Christopher Belin would later score his first career goal at 82:07 to officially put the game out of reach. Goalkeepers Bobby Wood and Colin Sheeler combined for a clean sheet, with Wood making four saves in 66 minutes.
The Lions brought their winning streak to four after a thrilling victory against Greenville University on Sept.6, giving the men’s soccer team their best start to a season in the NCAA era (since 2003).
“Starting off 4-0 is a major confidence boost for us, especially as we start to play tougher opponents,” said junior forward Colin Vogel. “We have the pieces to win conference, and we are all expecting us to do big things this year.”
After being tied at the break, the Lions would go down 2-1 with a goal from Greenville at 76:46. That would soon change when Jason Aussin scored the tying goal at 84:26. Nearing the end of the game, Vogel scored the winning goal at 86:19 to give the Lions a 3-2 win. “I’ve never felt more relieved than watching that shot hit the back of the net,” Vogel said.
The win streak was snapped on Sept. 7 with a 3-1 loss at Southern Virginia University by a score of 3-1.
“We had just played a game the day before, so we had tired legs, but I think the second (half) showed that we were the better team,” junior Vogel said. “We play Berry Wednesday, which should be a good game, and we are looking to get our fifth win on the road. We’ve got a lot of talented players, so it should be a (good) season for us.”
Going into halftime, Piedmont was down 2-0 and needed to come out of the half with some fire to get back in the game. Out of the half, Vogel got the Lions on the board, but that was all the Lions could manage throughout the rest of the game. Southern Virginia scored late to put the game away, resulting in a loss for the Lions.
Piedmont is set to take on Berry College, traveling to Mount Berry on Sept. 11 at 6 p.m.
—Zach Avila, Nate Courtwright, Isaiah Jones
Women’s Tennis
To kick off the fall schedule, the Piedmont women’s tennis team hosted their third consecutive Piedmont Invitational on Sept. 6, welcoming Methodist University, Sweet Briar College, Columbia College, Maryville College and Agnes Scott College.
Each player from each team played at least one singles and one doubles match. The Lady Lions were on a tear in doubles over the weekend. Freshman Sarah Sanabia and sophomore Drea Robinson won their match, alongside graduate student Dannie Evans and sophomore Brooklyn Bolch. Freshman Kameron London started her collegiate career with a singles win, and senior Alyssa McSpadden also won her singles match.
“The competition was much more challenging this year as I lost three out of my four matches,” said sophomore Drea Robinson. “We as a team were very loud and cheered each other on well.”
The Lady Lions will travel to Montgomery, Alabama, to compete in the Huntingdon Fall Invitational on Sept. 13-14.
—Damyon Traylor
