Marietta women earn 4-3, overtime win over Saint Vincent
Freshman Cara Nuss scores two goals and assists another in victory

Sept. 20, 2008
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College women's soccer team entered Saturday (Sept. 20) afternoon’s game against visiting St. Vincent College (Pa.) needing a victory to get on track in 2008. It took 92 minutes, but the Lady Pioneers pulled out a 4-3, overtime win over the visiting Bearcats. The win improved the Pioneers' record 1-5, while Saint Vincent fell to 3-3-1.

The Pioneers came out firing against the visiting Bearcats, scoring two goals in the first 11 minutes. Freshman Corryn Muench (Cold Spring, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) followed a shot from fellow freshman Ashley Drehs (Parma/Normandy) and calmly placed it in the back of the net in the seventh minute. Four minutes later, freshman midfielder Cara Nuss (Dayton/Carroll) followed a shot from senior Jessica Martinez (Strongsville/Magnificat) with another goal to put the Pioneers ahead 2-0.

The Bearcats answered back immediately when forward Kylie Simonini weaved her way through the Pioneers’ defense to score an unassisted goal from 15 yards out 17 seconds after Marietta's second goal. Five minutes later, the Bearcats struck again when Michelle Stepien scored off a cross from Ashley Bartko to tie the score at 2-2. Bearcat forward Leanna Seminsky broke the tie in the 28th minute after she beat Pioneers’ goalkeeper Sydney Collins (Cincinnati/Country Day) to the far post to give Saint Vincent a 3-2 lead at intermission.

Still trailing by one goal late in the second half, Pioneers Head Coach Patrick Holguin decided push one of his midfielders up top to give Marietta three forwards. The gamble worked, as Nuss found the net again, this time by bending the ball in off a corner kick in the 86th minute. The goal tied the score at 3-3 and sent the game into overtime.

The Pioneers stayed on the offensive and put the game away after freshman Chelsea Hennen (Wheeling, W.Va./The Linsly School) finished a ball that came across the six-yard box to win the game for Marietta in the 92nd minute. Nuss and Martinez both assisted on the play.

The Pioneers out-shot the Bearcats 25-12 overall and led 12-10 in shots on goal. Collins played the first half for Marietta and finished with two saves. Sophomore Helen Hetzel (Radnor/Buckeye Valley) took over in the second half and overtime. She did not allow a goal and finished with five saves.

Marietta returns to action on Wednesday (Sept. 24) when it travels to Washington, Pa., for a 5 p.m. non-conference match-up with Washington and Jefferson College.