Women’s Soccer
The Piedmont University women’s soccer won its eighth game in a row with 6-0 victory against conference foe Agnes Scott College on Oct. 15.
“I was really happy with how our team performed and the energy from our team that night was great,” senior Maggie Ledger said, “I love how much this team supports each other no matter who is on the field.”
The team quickly took the lead by scoring three goals in the first 13 minutes of the game.
Senior Sierra Judson scored the first goal with an assist from senior Paige Kluba at 5:36. This goal was quickly followed by two more from junior Jocelyn Lopez (assisted by Addie Cissell and Keira Ferrera) and senior Peyton Gates (Adriana Blumer).
After the first three scores there was a 30-minute gap before their next goal which was made by freshman Addie Cissell (Gretchen Dedolph).
Piedmont went on to score two more goals — one by junior Gracie Phillips (Sophie Wells) and the final by sophomore Madison Johnson (unassisted).
The Lady Lions (12-4, 5-2) will host Asbury University on Oct. 26.
—Allie Watkins
Men’s Soccer
The men’s soccer team lost 3-1 to Huntingdon College on Oct. 18, falling to 5-7-1 on the year.
“We started super aggressive toward the beginning of the game, but in the second half it felt as if we drifted away from that,” senior forward/midfielder Philip Nowack said. “Moving into our next game against Johnson & Wales, I believe we need to work on staying aggressive and staying on the gas petal to hopefully get a win.”
Davis Knight scored the Lions’ only goal of the game with just nine minutes remaining. Freshman Josh Duquette started in the goal and held his own during in first half, holding the Hawks to just two shots on goal.
The Lions will wrap up their regular season hosting Johnson & Wales (N.C.) Oct. 21 for senior night.
—Matt Dupuis
Women’s Golf
The Piedmont University women’s golf team wrapped up its fall campaign this week at the Historic Triangle Invitational in Williamsburg, Virginia, closing the two-day tournament with an improved performance in Tuesday’s final round.
After opening the event in 12th place, the Lions held steady on the leaderboard, finishing ahead of USA South rival Methodist. Piedmont showed steady progress throughout the event, shaving nine strokes off its team score in the final round.
Junior Keegan Goins led the team on Tuesday, carding a 5-over 77 to move into the top 40 individually. Senior Erin Donovan continued her consistent play with rounds of 77 and 79, making a team-high three birdies in the final round. Freshmen Aubree Hill and Zoe Shuttlesworth both improved from day one, while Addison Maney rounded out the Lions’ lineup.
“It was a tough tournament for us as a team,” Goins said. “We didn’t get out the gate very well, but we pieced it together a little in the second round. We have a young team with a lot of growing to do, but we are all hard workers and things are looking up for the spring. For me, this last fall event, I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform well, and I didn’t finish well the first round, but I fought hard in the second round to finish with a good round.”
As a team, the Lions showed resilience and determination to close their fall season on a strong note, gaining experience that will carry into the spring. Emory claimed the team title, edging out Carnegie Mellon by a single stroke.
Final Results:
- T-36: Erin Donovan – 77-79 (+12)
- T-39: Keegan Goins – 81-77 (+14)
- T-64: Aubree Hill – 87-81 (+24)
- T-66: Zoe Shuttlesworth – 85-84 (+25)
- T-71: Addison Maney – 88-87 (+31)
—Adriana Blumer
Men’s Cross Country
The men’s cross country team traveled to Salem, Virginia to compete at the South Region Showdown.
Senior Layton Bradford paced the Lions with a PR time of 25:43.4, finishing 21st out of 239 runners.
“Halfway through the race with high heat approaching made me feel the need to work harder,” Bradford said. “We all did our best in the circumstances and were looking to do better next race.”
Sophomore Brody Geckler was the second Lion to cross the finish line, finishing in 126th with a time of 28:45.5.Rounding it out for the Lions, junior Keegan Ivey finished with a time of 34:09.6 and sophomore Xander Wiley came up behind with a time of 35:33.9.
The Lions will be preparing for the CCS Championships, traveling to Huntsville, Alabama on Oct. 31, where they finished second as a team last year.
—Olivia Carpenter
Women’s Cross Country
The Piedmont University women’s cross country team traveled to Virginia on Saturday to compete in the South Region Showdown, taking on a talented field and a challenging course that tested endurance and focus from start to finish.
For the women, senior Bella Caccamo once again led the Lions, turning in a personal-record time of 25:06 to place 73rd overall. Caccamo’s performance marked another strong outing in what has been a consistent and impressive senior campaign.
“This race had some unexpected things pop up so we’re just learning to adapt and overcome in time for conference,” Caccamo said. “I personally had a good race. I was happy with what I ran but I know I can go faster.”
Freshman Katie Payne rounded out the finishers for the Lions with a time of 31:52.2, continuing to build confidence and experience in her debut collegiate season. Despite the demanding terrain and deep competition Payne maintained her composure and battled through the final stretch to earn a solid finish for the team.
While Madison Worsham, Roseline Velasquez Loarca and Eva Doyne were unable to complete the race their efforts throughout the meet reflected the team’s determination and commitment to pushing through adversity.
The Lions will return to action next weekend as they continue their fall schedule and look to build momentum heading into the conference championships.
—Maggie Bishop
Volleyball
The Piedmont volleyball team was swept in three games on Oct. 18-19 falling 3-0 to Asbury University, Huntingdon College and Oglethorpe University going to 4-20 on the season.
“This past weekend results definitely don’t reflect how much progress we have made as a team,” senior Katie Hubbard said. “Everyone is finding their confidence on the court and we are really coming into our roles on the team.”
Against Asbury, senior Zoe Coelho recorded 13 digs and Hubbard led the attack with four kills as the Lions rallied late, but were unable to overcome the early disadvantage. Piedmont kept up with Huntingdon in the second match, which included two close sets with seven kills apiece from Hubbard and sophomore Sara Bjerke. With 17 digs to end the day and 30 total, Coelho once again served as the defensive cornerstone. Hubbard recorded 11 kills in both games.
In their non-conference match at Oglethorpe on Sunday, the Lions maintained that momentum and fought their way through a tense second set that ended 28-26. For the second consecutive game, Bjerke recorded seven kills, followed by five each from Hubbard and senior Kya Perkinson, and an outstanding defensive performance from Coelho with 26 digs. Hubbard had 16 kills while Coelho had 56 digs over the three games.
The women’s volleyball team have a busy midweek schedule. They will play home Oct. 21 against Toccoa Falls College, before traveling to Wesleyan College on Oct. 22.
—Sydney Spitzer
