Cedarville soccer teams celebrate seniors and two victories

By Tayler Sharp

There is no better way to celebrate the Cedarville Yellow Jacket seniors than with back-to-back wins. 

Both women’s and men’s soccer teams secured victories on Saturday afternoon against GMAC conference matchups, Walsh and Malone. The women’s team won 1-0 against Walsh, and the men’s team followed with a 4-0 win against Malone. 

Packed stands, pregame senior ceremonies, trick-or-treating, and costumes: senior day included much more than wins. There is no doubt that the 15 seniors felt loved with the gathering of family and community. 

The day kicked off by honoring the women’s team’s three seniors: defenders Maddie McConnell and Sophie Browndyke, along with goalie Kaelan Swallow. The three seniors joined their team in a hard-fought match against the Walsh University Cavaliers (4-7-2). 

The women’s game was nothing short of a defensive battle against the Cavaliers. Each team’s goalie was putting in the work, with Swallow having five saves and Walsh’s goalie racking up seven. Both teams spent the majority of the game tirelessly working to make a goal, neither finding success until the second half. 

It was not until the 76th minute of the game that sophomore Alyssa Griner shot her first goal of the season. This last-minute score was essential to the victory of the Lady Jackets. Due to this triumph, the Lady Jackets now hold a 9-2-4 overall record, with a 7-1-3 record in the GMAC conference. 

The senior day win was not only representative of the team’s hard work, but also of all that the three seniors contributed to the team during their college soccer careers. Just this season, McConnell and Browndyke are each among the 14 players to have scored a goal. Not to mention, this game was Swallow’s third clean sheet on saves. 

“One of the biggest things I’ve learned has been finding your identity outside of the game,” said Swallow. “At the end of the day, my identity is rooted in Christ; it’s not rooted in anything else. And how beautiful it is to have a community of people that continues to push me towards that.” 

While the Lady Jackets rejoiced in victory, the men’s soccer team geared up for their game against the Malone University Pioneers (1-11-2). Before kickoff, the 12 men’s seniors were honored: Matthew Weller, Logan Errett, Michael Catanzarite, Daniel Kibrom, Alex Long, Matthew Leo, Jackson Dresser, Amari Everage, Max Brown, Kirk Wilson, Jackson Baker and Pablo Novás Cortiñas.

Many of the senior Jackets contributed greatly to the 4-0 win against the Pioneers. The excitement began early in the game when seniors Long and Wilson made their skills loud and clear in just the 13th minute. Wilson scored, but his goal would not have been possible without the cross by Long. 

The theme of stand-out seniors did not stop there. Two minutes before the half, Leo scored a goal off an assist by Dresser. Because of Leo’s goal, the Jackets entered halftime with a 2-0 lead. 

“I mean, for me, it’s been three years of injuries and red shirts, and it’s just a constant reminder that everything is going to fail you in life, but Jesus is always there,” Leo said. “Jesus is who you can lean on.”

Leo places his hope in something greater than the game, teaching him about the things that really matter. 

“It’s the eternal things that matter at the end of the day,” Leo said. “We can have really high moments like this; we can win with humility. And then we can lose, and we can reflect, and we can remember what truly matters in life. That is what soccer teaches you, that’s what this team has done for me and for the rest of the boys.” 

While the senior spotlight shone brightly in the first half, the second half was just as spectacular. Junior Yonis Velasquez and freshman Christian Nardelli each scored goals within seven minutes of each other. These goals doubled the score, giving Cedarville a 4-0 victory. 

The Cedarville Yellow Jackets now have a 10-0-5 season record, with an 8-0-3 record in the GMAC, and remain unbeaten.

With the men’s team being in first place in the GMAC rankings and the women’s team being in third, both teams are preparing for the upcoming playoff season. The 15 collective seniors are ready to finish out their season with strength and determination. 

Tayler Sharp is a journalism major and writer and photographer for Cedars. Tayler loves playing golf, reading a good book or doing anything outdoors.