COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Capital University women's soccer team rang the bell at the corner of Pleasant Ridge and East Mound Street for the first time this season on Tuesday, defeating the Wittenberg University Tigers by a score of 1-0.
The Purple and White definitely got their steps in during this one. With multiple plays going from endline to endline and back again in the first half, chances were abundant, results were not. The nets behind the goals, in place to keep stray balls from rolling away, got more action than those within the goal as the half came to a close with the scoreboard reading 0-0.
When the teams returned to the field for the second half, everything pointed towards the latter period being more of the same; five minutes in, that would change. A ball into the box from freshman left winger
Grace Estes found the right foot of junior forward
Avery Hart who blasted it into the upper right corner of the goal and past Wittenberg keeper Katie Wisniewski, giving Capital the 1-0 lead in the 50th minute. This set off a sense of pure elation on the Capital sideline, prompting a Capital assistant coach
Jenna Klopfenstein to leap into head coach
Matt Ogden's arms as the long-awaited goal finally arrived.
It would be a challenge to defend the lead for the next 40 minutes but the Capital women were up for the task. Despite several desperate attempts by the Tigers to even the score, and keeping possession of the ball for what felt like ages, the Purple and White stood tall and shut down their opponent's offensive attack. When the clock hit zero, the victorious Purple and White abandoned their bench and joined together in celebration on the field. Their first win of the season, coming in 1-0 fashion.
Goalscorer
Avery Hart, who scored the team's only other goal on the season against Grove City, led the Capital attack, taking nine shots, four of which were on target, including the would-be deciding score.
Grace Estes notched her first, as well as the team's first, assist on the year with her feed to Hart. She also accounted for two of the team's 18 shots.
Junior goalkeeper racked up two saves and a total of nine shots faced on her way to her second clean sheet of the season.
The Capital women look to build off of this success in their next match against Baldwin Wallace. This match will take place on the turf of Purmort Field at Bernlohr Stadium at 1 p.m. EST.
