Eight Polar Bears score as Women's Soccer routs Muskies 11-0
By Blake Moore
ADA - The Ohio Northern women's soccer program earned its ninth consecutive victory Saturday afternoon as the Polar Bears routed Ohio Athletic Conference foe Muskingum 11-0 in the annual Friends of Jaclyn game at Kerscher Stadium.
Northern, who now sits 9-2-0 overall and 3-0-0 in the OAC, received goals from eight different scorers in the conference clash. Meanwhile, the Muskies would drop to 5-7-0 overall and 0-3-0 in league play on the season.
Prior to the match, the women's soccer program honored Friends of Jaclyn team member Tori Gillham, who has been paired with the team since 2015 through the organization. The team also collected donations for the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve the lives of children battling pediatric brain tumors and childhood cancers by connecting individuals with local athletic teams and clubs.
On the pitch, the Polar Bears took command of the OAC affair early in the first half. Ohio Northern would net three goals in the opening 10 minutes of the match as senior forward McKenna Welsh (Westerville/Bishop Hartley), who provided a pair of braces, and sophomore Jenna Fuller (Countryside, Ill./Lyons Township) pushed Northern out to a quick 3-0 advantage.
Fuller has now scored in eight straight matches this season dating back to a 3-0 victory over Trine (Ind.) on September 14.
Senior midfielder Sarah Puntel (Strongsville) would then provide back-to-back goals just over one minute apart in the 17th and 18th minutes, respectively. She would score her first goal of the season after blasting a 25-yard shot just inside the right goal post. She would follow the effort with a 12-yard strike, burying the ball in the left side netting.
Sophomore forward Emma Barney (Oak Harbor) netted the first of her two scores on the day in the 31st minute near the penalty mark. She would go on to score the opening goal of the second half after making a long run to track down a through-ball before putting away a 15-yard effort.
The Polar Bears would also receive goals from senior defender/midfielder Kelleigh Pier (Mason, Mich.), sophomore midfielder Cat Schaefer (Lexington), freshman defender Mikhayla Carter (Clarksville/Clinton-Massie), and freshman midfielder Audrey Spirk (Bellbrook). All four players' goals mark their first respective scores of the 2018 campaign.
As a team, Ohio Northern would outshoot their guests by a 34-3 margin, which included a 19-0 shots on goal advantage. ONU would also record 11 corner kicks while the Muskies were not awarded an opportunity in the match.
The Polar Bears will now turn their attention to Wednesday, October 10 as they travel to Wilmington for another Ohio Athletic Conference contest. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at Williams Stadium in Wilmington.
