Sports

Xavier women’s soccer opens up new season 2-0

Xavier picked up a road win over No. 21 St. Louis before beating Northwestern

By Will Pembroke, Show Manager

The Xavier women’s soccer team turned in a pair of excellent performances last weekend, showcasing the team’s potential for great success entering the season.

Game One occurred in St. Louis versus the No. 21 ranked St. Louis University Billikens. The game, which was also streamed on ESPN+, was nothing short of a dominant outing for the Musketeers, specifically dominating defensively, as the defense only allowed six shots with just two on goal for the Billikens. 

Xavier’s offense tripled that shot total, ending with 18, six of which were  on goal. 

Sophomore forward Sonia Vargas scored the match’s lone goal late, near the 85-minute mark. 

Senior goalkeeper Olivia Jenkins secured a shutout with two saves, as the Musketeer’s went on to win 1-0.

The Musketeers dominated in similar fashion in their second game against Northwestern at  Corcoran Field, winning 2-1. 

Despite the close score, Xavier’s defense showed up in a big way against the Wildcats. Northwestern was only able to muster seven shots, with just four of those being on goal. 

While the Musketeers surrendered their first goal of the season in the first half, they finished strong, allowing no goals in the final 60 minutes of the match.

Xavier’ women’s soccer got off to a hot start to their season, taking a road win from a ranked St. Louis team before returning home to beat Northwestern. Xavier was anchored by their strong defense in both matches.

Jenkins had a solid performance, ending with three saves and only one goal allowed.Offensively, Xavier had a solid showing with 15 shots, eight of which were on goal. 

Freshman forward Mathilde Rasmussen put the team’s first score on the board in the 52nd minute, following a great pass from Vargas. 

That would not be the freshman’s only score of the match however, as Rasmussen put home another goal off a free kick in the 64th minute, pushing Xavier in front of Northwestern for the remainder of the match.

A 2-0 start to the season has put the Musketeer women’s soccer team in a good spot heading into the weekend. 

Tonight, Xavier faces off against archrival University of Cincinnati at 7:00 p.m. on Corcoran Field. 

On Aug. 29, the Musketeers will be at home again to take on Murray State at 1:00 p.m. The Musketeers then travel to Champaign, Ill. for a big non-conference matchup with  the University of Illinois.