Scots Hosting W&J, Earlham in Final Week of Regular Season

Piper Annese

Entering the final week of the regular season, The College of Wooster is still in the race for the North Coast Athletic Conference championship, however, it may need some help from rival Wittenberg University in order to share a piece of the title. The Fighting Scots, currently a game back in the loss column to leader Kenyon College (8-9, 7-3 NCAC), only have one league game left, as they’ll host Earlham College (3-10, 0-10 NCAC) Saturday, Oct. 27, at 12:30 p.m. Kenyon plays at Earlham Wednesday, Oct. 24, and at Wittenberg on Saturday. Wooster doubled-up Earlham 4-2 in the teams’ first meeting this fall (Sept. 22) and owns a 26-game win streak against the Quakers. Also this week, the Scots will welcome non-conference foe Washington & Jefferson College (13-2), coached by former Wooster assistant Jomara Coghlan, to Cindy Barr Memorial Field on Wednesday for a 4:30 p.m. showdown. Wooster is 4-1 all-time against the Presidents, however, the loss came last year, a 2-1 overtime decision.

Last Week: The Scots won two of three games, which moved their record to 9-6 overall and 7-4 in the NCAC, good for second-place.

On Oct. 18, Wooster scored a season-high five goals, all coming by the midway point of the second half, as the Scots easily defeated visiting Oberlin College 5-3. Oberlin actually jumped out to an early lead, converting a penalty corner just 2:40 into the action. Wooster tied it up about five minutes later when Eileen Barrer (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Pioneer) sprinted to a breakaway goal, setting the tone for a high-scoring affair. Only 4:08 went by before Barrer notched her second tally, marking the freshman’s third multi-goal game. Briana Lynch (North East, Md. / North East), who assisted Barrer’s second score, made it 3-1 shortly thereafter, as she connected on a penalty corner after receiving a feed from Kate Persing (Canton, Conn. / Kimball Union Academy – N.H.) with 16:20 still remaining in the first half. For Persing, a senior standout in the backfield, it marked her first assist this season and fourth point of her career.

Both defenses would settle in until midway through the second half, when the Scots scored twice just 3:41 apart. First, Brittany Montgomery (Glens Falls, N.Y. / Glens Falls) hit the back of the cage at the 20:43 mark, followed by a goal from Piper Annese (Bedford, Mass. / Cambridge School of Weston) during a penalty corner to make it 5-1. Wooster starting goalie Izzy Maffetone (Setauket, N.Y. / Ward Melville) made three saves before being pulled with 9:22 remaining.

On Oct. 20, Montgomery scored two goals, including one with 7:30 remaining, as the Scots hung on for a 2-1 victory at Transylvania University in non-league action. Wooster grabbed a 1-0 halftime lead via Montgomery’s unassisted tally with 7:35 to play in the first half.

Transylvania eventually knotted things 1-1 just past the midway point of the second half before Montgomery scored on a penalty corner for what proved to be the game-winner. Maffetone had a busy day, recording a season-high 14 saves.