Tie against Wittenberg Leaves Scot’s Playoff Chances in Limbo

Eliot Barrengos, Contributing Writer

The Fighting Scots women’s soccer team traveled to Springfield, Ohio last Saturday, Oct. 22 to battle the Wittenberg Tigers. Saturday marked a rematch of last year’s North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championship Game, in which the Scots fell to the Tigers 3-2. With the Scots eager to avenge the loss from last year, they competed in a hard-fought match that ended in a 1-1 tie.

 Although both teams were scoreless for the first 23 minutes of play, Wittenberg controlled the pace of the game, taking seven shots in the first half and drawing two corner kicks. The Scots struggled to find good opportunities to score in the first 45 minutes of play and fell behind when Wittenberg struck first on a penalty kick by Amy Bidwill ’23 in minute 23. The Scots rallied early in the second half, looking to even the score. When the ball got through Wittenberg’s center backs, Tedi Farson ’23 made the decisive goal in the 53rd minute of play to knot the score at one apiece. Farson, when asked about the shot, said that “I knew it was going to be the best opportunity for us to tie the game,” adding that, “we didn’t have many great opportunities in the first half, so I knew I had to make this one count.” 

The decisive goal helped the Scots force a draw, which was critical to their position in the standings, as a loss to Saturday would have sunk their chances at competing in this year’s NCAC playoffs. Farson’s offensive efforts were backed by a standout performance from goalkeeper Kameryn Nelson ’26, who saved three shots in the net on Saturday to keep Wittenberg at bay. Nelson commented on her performance saying, “it felt great making key saves in our game against Wittenberg and doing my part to keep the game competitive.”

Wooster women’s soccer will turn their attention towards Denison, where they will travel this upcoming Saturday, Oct. 29 to square off with the Denison Big Red at 1 p.m. This game, the last of the regular season, will be the Scots’ final chance at securing a spot in the top four in the NCAC standings. Each team gets three points for every win they have in conference play, one point for a tie and zero points for a loss. Wooster (8), who trails DePauw (9) and Kenyon (10), will need to upset Denison, who currently leads the conference with 11 points, to have a chance to play for the NCAC Championship again in 2022. The Scots not only need a win against Denison on Saturday, but will need to see DePauw or Kenyon lose or tie their two remaining games in conference play. Instead of focusing on the playoff picture, however, the women’s team is focused on one goal. “We need to win against Denison this weekend,” Farson said. To do this, Farson believes that “the forwards will need to work as a unit across the field to create the best opportunities to score.” Though acknowledging Denison’s skill, Farson highlighted one advantage for the Scots in the upcoming match: “we have a lot more to lose going into this game, so our team all around needs to play with immense passion.”

Saturday will certainly be the most important day of the season for the women’s team, as they will try to prevent it from being their last. Farson, a senior, commented on the possibility that this might be the final week of her collegiate career, saying that “the feelings surrounding my soccer career coming to an end are hard to put into words.” Farson also noted that, “I have dedicated my life and body to this sport, and it is hard to fathom my life without it.” Farson’s college career was highlighted by an excellent 2021 season where she earned NCAC Newcomer of the Year, and second-team All-NCAC selection in 2021 and ranked second on the Scots with 11 goals and 26 points. 

Farson, who knows what it takes to perform under pressure, had both an assist and a goal in last year’s championship game against Wittenberg. She expressed gratitude for the season as a whole and expressed a commitment to her team saying, “I am incredibly proud of my whole team this season no matter where we end up at the end of the week.” Saturday will be emotional no matter the result for the Scots, but as Farson put it, despite “some highs and lows throughout the season, we have stayed optimistic and picked each other up.” 

Wooster plays its season-determining match on Saturday, Oct. 29 on the road against Denison. Good luck to the Scots as they attempt to earn a playoff berth!