Homecoming weekend always brings friends, family, students, alumni and fans together for an exciting and jam-packed weekend at John Carroll. There are always a plethora of activities happening on and off campus. At the same time, John Carroll also hosts numerous athletic events, showcasing our varsity athletes as some of the top competitors in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

Women’s soccer put on what turned out to be a defensive battle throughout the entire match. Coming into the weekend the Blue Streaks had a record of 4-1-3. Showcasing a strong effort during the beginning of the season, the Blue Streaks faced off against the Quakers of Wilmington College. Wilmington had an impressive start to the season, coming into this game with a record of 7-1. This game served as the first OAC matchup for the Blue Streaks which created even higher stakes.

Wilmington proved to not be as intimidating as expected, as the Blue Streaks came out swinging, scoring what would be the first and only goal of the match in only the first seven minutes of play. Emily Patrzyk ‘26 had a tremendous rebound goal in what is now her fifth goal of the season. Having done this, the Quakers team found themselves on their heels, looking for an opportunity to strike later in the match.

Although John Carroll put up an impressive defensive stint for the rest of the match, allowing zero goals on 11 shots from the Quakers. That is all thanks to Madeline Martin-Koiser who showed all of us she is one of the top goaltenders in the OAC. As a result of two consecutive clean sheets against Wilmington and Ohio Wesleyan just days before, Martin-Koiser earned OAC Athlete of the Week Status.

The duration of the second half had little action as only three total shots on goal were fired in the remaining 45 minutes. But, a lone goal was all the Blue Streaks needed to secure the victory on their home turf. It was the culmination of a wholesome and exciting weekend for John Carroll athletics. The Blue Streaks, after the home victory, found themselves 5-1-3 on the season, as well as 1-0-0 in OAC play.

The Blue Streaks gear up for a series of OAC games in the coming weeks. John Carroll takes on Heidelberg University in Tiffin, OH on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. After that, the squad heads to Marietta on Saturday, Oct. 7 for a 7 p.m. kickoff against the Pioneers.