GAMBIER, Ohio -- The Kenyon College women's soccer team secured its second 1-0 shutout victory in as many matches, winning their opening North Coast Athletic Conference contest over Ohio Wesleyan University (7-2-2, 0-1-0 NCAC) to improve to 3-4-3 overall and 1-0-0 in the NCAC.

On a chilly, sunny, and windy fall day on Mavec Field, neither team could create much separation in the first half of the teams' first conference match. The first shot came after 11 minutes of play when Ohio Wesleyan put a shot on goal, but Kenyon's Leah Anderson, a senior stalwart in goal, secured the save.

Anderson was up to the task on two more occasions, once in the 13th minute and once in the 33rd, saving a pair of OWU shots. The Battling Bishops took the first three attempts of the game and had four shots on goal in the opening half. Conversely, Kenyon's only first-half shot was a long attempt from junior Jackie Thompson that was on goal but not overly dangerous for the OWU keeper. 

Anderson made another defensive stand in the 58th minute, coming out to challenge a dangerous one-on-one attack after OWU's Ali Claus got behind Owls' defense before smothering the ball on a diving save.

Kenyon's offense looked for a chance to make the defensive efforts pay off, and that chance came in the form of a corner kick in the 62nd minute. After earning the first corner of the second half, senior defender Chloe Webb played the ball to the middle of the field on the outskirts of the OWU box. From there, Talulla Sheridan, a sophomore, kicked the ball in midair, not letting it touch the pitch after Webb's pass, putting a slicing shot into the top left corner of the goal to give the Owls a 1-0 lead at the 61:37 mark.

Webb was responsible for the game's next shot, an on-target attempt in the 64th minute, but the look would be Kenyon's last as the Owls had to control the clock and withstand an onslaught of OWU attacks.

The Battling Bishops took the final seven shots, and a few looks were too close for comfort. OWU missed wide on a rebounded shot in the 69th minute, and a ball bounced off the post in the 76th minute before Anderson saved a follow-up attempt. Anderson secured one more save in the 83rd minute, marking OWU's last viable threat and sealing the win. 

Kenyon held onto their 1-0 edge through 90 minutes, clinching the win despite facing a 13-4 deficit in shots and a 7-3 margin in shots on goal. Thompson and Anderson joined first-year Lily Mahdavian and sophomore Claudia Abram to play full-time for a Kenyon defense that earned its second straight shutout, while sophomore midfielder Morgan Baker played 83 minutes.

Kenyon's next matchup is on the road against the College of Wooster (6-4-2, 1-1 NCAC) on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 3:30 p.m. The Owls then return to Mavec Field for a duel against DePauw University (6-2-3, 1-0 NCAC) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15.