GAMBIER, Ohio – Sophomore Brianna Maggard scored a pair of goals in the opening half as the Kenyon Ladies soccer team defeated Hiram College 3-1 on Wednesday afternoon at Mavec Field. The victory moved the Ladies into a tie for first place in the North Coast Athletic Conference with a 3-0-1 mark and improved their overall record to 5-5-2.
 
Kenyon struck nearly right out of the gate at the 2:42 mark. After Gillian Blackwell's shot hit the top crossbar, a loose ball got knocked around a bit and came to Emma Klug who rifled an attempt that squeezed inside the goal.
 
The 1-0 score remained the same until the 18th minute when Maggard found her first goal of the year. Blackwell took a corner from the left side and Maggard rose above the Terriers' defense and headed it home.
 
Hiram threatened right after as the team's leading scorer Allie Glatt attempted three shots, but all of those attempts were blocked.
 
A 2-0 advantage blossomed into a three-score lead for Kenyon just before halftime. Morgan Engmann passed out of the far left corner, and after it was deflected by the Terriers, Maggard picked it up and lofted a shot from around 25 yards and watched as the ball found its way into the right corner.
 
The Ladies out-shot the Terriers 13-4 in the opening half.
 
Hiram added some pressure on Ladies' keeper Jillian Countey in the second half as they tried to get their offense in gear. Between the 72nd and 78th minutes, Hiram found a few good looks including Emily Syrjala's shot that hit the post. But nothing came through as Countey recorded a couple of saves in that span.
 
The only score for the Terriers came late as Klatt headed home a shot after a deflected save from Maria Paparella who replaced Countey late in the match.
 
With the win, Kenyon's next match has some real significance in NCAC play. The Ladies will travel to Denison University this Saturday to face the Big Red who is tied with Kenyon at the top of the standings.