It’s a big weekend for Violets soccer. Both the men’s and women’s teams play Case Western Reserve University on Saturday, Oct. 5 in Cleveland, Ohio. The women’s game kicks off first at 11 a.m., and the men’s follows at 1:30 p.m.
Ahead of this week’s round of conference games, our staff at WSN have made a couple of predictions — some of them substantive, some of them not so much.
Disclaimer: These predictions are just for fun and are not to be taken seriously. The WSN staff is, in fact, not liable for any of the events that transpire in the games cited below.
Annie Emans, Beauty & Style Editor
Women’s soccer vs. CWRU: 4-3 W
Men’s soccer vs. CWRU: 2-1 W
The majority of my soccer knowledge comes from the hit series “Ted Lasso.” What I have learned is that the sport has a flare for the dramatics, which has heavily influenced my predictions.
The women’s soccer team is going to dominate this game. It would be anti-woman of me to predict anything other than a team victory. With a series of wins under their belt this year, including an impressive 8-1 win against the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, I doubt they will lose momentum anytime soon. The most riveting games are neck and neck, so that’s what I’m hoping for. Imagine this: the game is tied with five minutes left. Out comes a senior with humble beginnings who rose to a top spot on the team — now she’s a leader and everyone loves her. She scores the game-winning goal with 30 seconds on the clock, and the crowd goes wild. Maybe they pour Gatorade on her head in celebration, although I have no idea if athletes actually do that.
In this coming game, the men’s soccer team is going to be fighting for their life but will ultimately pull through. Though their season has been slightly trifling with a recent loss against Penn State Harrisburg, my spirit tells me there is a win in their near future. All I can hope is that there’s some quality drama and storytelling on the field. Maybe a first-year rookie will score the game-winning goal, or NYU’s mascot will make a show-stopping appearance.
Jonathan Mak, Sports Editor
Women’s soccer vs. CWRU: 4-2 W
Men’s soccer vs. CWRU: 1-2 L
Both teams have struggled against CWRU in recent years, recording two losses in the last two meetings for each team. This is the year NYU could vanquish their demons in Cleveland.
Last season, the women came the closest to a win in recent history — a 1-0 loss with the goal coming in the 86th minute. Both CWRU and NYU have similar records, but when it comes to soccer, stats don’t mean anything. I’m not predicting a complete blowout, but the women’s team has been on fire this season, with 26 goals, only six concessions and a 10-game undefeated streak.
Soccer fans are a superstitious bunch, and I refuse to be the reason the team loses their first game of the season. The Violets will be down 2-1 at the break, but junior Hunter Hoelscher will score a hat trick in the second half.
The men’s team is on a different trajectory, however. These Violets can score goals with ease — I’ve seen them play through various teams’ high presses, I’ve seen them score counter-attacks with blistering pace and I’ve seen some spectacular goals, the highlight being sophomore midfielder Daniel Gutierrez’s bicycle-kick equalizer against Drew University two weeks ago.
But defensively, the team is prone to mistakes. Some of the goals they’ve conceded have been sloppy, but those can be chalked up to lapses in concentration and the fact that Coach Kim Wyant has used a couple of different center back pairings this season. CWRU has beaten them the last two years, and I don’t see the Violets beating a well-organized team that has only conceded seven goals in nine games. CWRU will score two goals in the first half, and the Violets will come out in the second half with another goal for senior Nathan Bennett but will not be able to find an equalizer. Sorry, lads.
Katherine Welander, Copy Chief
Women’s soccer vs. CWRU: 2-1 W
Men’s soccer vs. CWRU: 2-2 D
As someone who hasn’t played soccer competitively for six years, I’d just like to say that if I was going into conference play following an 8-1 win two games before, I would not shut up about it.
The women’s soccer team is currently undefeated and on a five-game winning streak, and, as a supporter of women, I’d be incorrect to predict anything other than a win. I’m going to rely, perhaps a little too heavily, on the Violet’s higher goals per game and shots-on-goal rate when I say that NYU will come out on top. If anything, it’s clear the Violets can score lots of goals while holding their opponents to much fewer: NYU has scored 26 goals while only conceding six across 10 games. It won’t be easy — CWRU is also undefeated, and they’ve beaten the Violets the last three times the two have met — but I predict that after conceding a goal in the first half, NYU will rally to a 2-1 victory.
With an admittedly less biased perspective on the men’s team, I think their game is more of a toss-up. CWRU has played nine games to the Violets’ eight, and their 5-2-2 record is almost identical to NYU’s 5-2-1. Like the women’s team, the men have higher scoring stats than CWRU in goals per game and shots on goal. However, the Violets have played only three away games this season, and, with a 1-1-1 away record, they might be at a disadvantage playing in Cleveland this weekend. Considering this — and the fact that predicting two wins may reflect poorly on my journalistic integrity — I think the men’s game will end 2-2.
Krish Dev, Director of Creative & Digital Strategy
Women’s soccer vs. CWRU: 1-0 W
Men’s soccer vs. CWRU: 3-2 W
Despite recent struggles against CWRU, I predict that both the men’s and women’s team are going to come away with wins from close games with winners after the 80th minute.
The women’s team, undefeated through 10 games, is looking to break their three-game losing streak against CWRU. In their last two games, the Violets won by seven goals against John Jay College and dominated the University of Scranton away from home. Saturday’s game will be close — the Spartans have the same record as NYU with seven wins and three ties — but the Violets will pull through because of graduate student goalkeeper Riley Felsher, who will earn her seventh clean sheet of the season.
In their upcoming game, the men’s team is also against the Spartans, who are undefeated in their last five games. However, the Violets enter the game with similar momentum, having secured two victories in the last week, including a 10-0 demolition of Baruch College and a hard-fought 3-2 win against Sarah Lawrence College. Senior forward Nathan Bennett, who already has six goals this season, will score his seventh to be the deciding factor in Cleveland.
Sidney Snider, Deputy Sports Editor
Women’s soccer vs. CWRU: 3-2 W
Men’s soccer vs. CWRU 3-3 D
The women’s team is very experienced this year, with more upperclassmen than first-years, and most of the team having been there for at least one of the three losses to CWRU. I think they’re ready — mentally and physically — to get revenge. They are also currently undefeated, and this streak will continue in UAA play. I have faith that the Violets will bring it home 3-2.
I don’t think the men’s game will go as smoothly, drawing 3-3. The Violets have shown a decent defense this season, with a stronger offense, but CWRU is looking similar. As the away team, I think the Violets won’t come out as strong as usual, but they’ll be able to hold off a loss.
Contact Annie, Jonathan, Katherine, Krish and Sidney at [email protected].
