Pioneers overpower Student Princes 4-0 in women's soccer
Marietta improves to 3-2-2 in the OAC

Oct. 20, 2006
TIFFIN, Ohio — The Marietta College women's soccer team withstood an early barrage from host Heidelberg College before retaliating offensively en route to a 4-0 victory Friday (Oct. 20) afternoon.

The Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) match-up was the first between Pioneer Head Coach Pat Holguin and Nick Spell '03, who spent the last three years as an assistant coach at his alma mater Marietta.

Spell, who took over the Student Princes' program in early August, had his team fired up and on the early offensive. Heidelberg (3-13, 0-7 OAC) rattled off six shots in the first seven minutes but could not convert its opportunities into a goal.

Marietta (7-5-5, 3-2-2 OAC) took a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute when junior Marianne Siders (Belle, W.Va./Riverside) scored off an assist from classmate Vanessa Nicholls (Cornwall, ONT, Canada). The goal was Siders' second of the year.

The score remained 1-0 until the 54th minute, when Nicholls was on the other end of a Pioneer goal. Nicholls took a pass from junior Colby Cardwell (Anchorage, AK/Robert Service) five yards out and then beat the keeper for her second goal of the year.

Marietta's offense continued to wear down Heidelberg's defense and broke through again in the 73rd minute, when freshman Rachel Ladouceur (Calcutta/Beaver Local) scored off her own rebound to give the Pioneers a 3-0 lead. It was Ladouceur's first career goal.

The Pioneers were credited with a fourth goal in the 84th minute, when a cross was misplayed and found its way into the back of the net for the own goal.

Marietta out shot Heidelberg 21-to-7 overall and 11-to-5 on goal.

Jenna Freeman (Bay Village) had three saves in the shutout, her seventh of the year, which tied her for fifth on Marietta's single-season list.

The Pioneers return home for their last two games of the season. Marietta will play host to Wilmington Wednesday (Oct. 25) at 4 p.m. and then close out the regular season by hosting John Carroll Saturday (Oct. 28) at 12 p.m.