OLIVET, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College women's soccer team continued MIAA play on the road at Olivet on Saturday (Oct. 7). The Hornets moved to 2-1-1 in conference play following a 5-0 win over the Comets as all five goals came in the second half.
Destiny Garcia returned to the starting lineup, joining Elana Mitchell, Maddie Coffman, Olivia DePauli, Savera Rajendra-Nicolucci, Anna Murphy, Holly Bowling, Izzy Kastel, Ruby Hogan, Erin Somsel, and Amalia Scorsone.
"We were able to get a lot of players some playing time today," said Head Coach Bryan Goyings. "I am proud that we were able to maintain a high speed of play and record a shutout as well."
Kalamazoo spent most of the game in the offensive zone, starting with a 16-1 shot advantage in the first half. Half of the Hornets' shots were on target, but the Comet goalkeeper was up to the task by keeping K off the board. On the opposite side, Olivet's only shot was off the frame as Mitchell did not have to make a save in the first half, with the score tied at zero heading into the locker room.
"We were a step slow to start the day, and although we controlled the ball, it was disappointing that we could not generate better scoring opportunities early on," said Coach Goyings.
The goals started to come in the second half, beginning in the 51st minute, as Garcia finished her second goal of the season off a pass from Bowling. Then, in the 56th and 59th minutes, DePauli scored twice for her third and fourth goals of the season on corner kick pieces, with Hogan serving the assist into the box both times. A couple of minutes later, the pressure by the Hornets was too much for Olivet to handle as the Comets scored an own goal to make the score 4-0. The final goal came in the 73rd minute from another corner kick, as Anni Schnell connected with Elle Bernas for her team-leading sixth goal of the season. The defense held up their end, finishing its fourth shutout in 2023.
Coach Goyings added, "The group really had a spark coming out of halftime. Holly served a great ball into the box on the first goal that Destiny was able to redirect from close range. The attacking group of Amalia, Holly, and Destiny did a great job putting Olivet under pressure, and it reflected in our corner kicks and goals, which were produced from those set pieces."
Mitchell made all three saves for her fourth clean sheet. Kalamazoo totaled more shots (34-5) and corner kicks (13-0), while Olivet finished with more saves (18-3) and fouls (10-7).
"It will be nice to return home next week as we look forward to hosting a strong Trine team on Tuesday and a much improved Saint Mary's squad on Saturday," said coach Goyings.
Kalamazoo will continue MIAA play by returning to MacKenzie Field on Tuesday (Oct. 10) and host Trine, beginning at 7 p.m.