Last week, women’s soccer took on the football team on Bailey Field in a penalty kick/field goal competition. Each team had three players from their roster attempt shots and also selected a coach to end the contest. This friendly competition was the first time many of the athletes had played the opposing team’s sport. While the competition remained close for the majority of the game, the Yeowomen came out on top.

Third-year football player Jack Diskin said that although he didn’t attempt any penalty kicks, he did “bring the juice.”

“Whenever soccer would go up to kick we’d get rowdy,” he said. “After our guys made a kick we’d bring the whole team together and celebrate. The women’s soccer team definitely brought the intensity — they came out to our field and definitely let us know after they won with a bit of trash talking.”

Third-year women’s soccer player Zoe Maddox, also known as Benji, played a pivotal role in securing this win for the soccer team as she was able to save a penalty kick and tie up the game.

“I saved one PK, and that was wicked exciting,” she said. “PK’s are almost always in favor of the penalty kick taker, so anytime I can make a save during them, it’s exhilarating. After making the save, my whole team ran to me jumping and screaming, and that is always a great feeling. Even though this was a friendly competition, I was gonna make sure I did everything I could to ensure my team’s victory. My save also tied up our score before [Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach] Lydia Mitchell kicked her field goal, which was the last one to be taken.”

This was indeed a big save that was crucial for the team. In the last round of kicking attempts, football’s Tight Ends Coach Cade O’Connell wasn’t able to seal the deal for the football team, but Assistant Coach Mitchell drilled a field goal right down the middle to win it for her team.

Diskin said that despite the loss, the game was still exciting and fun for both teams.

“I was pretty impressed at both teams’ ability to play the opposite sport,” Diskin said. “Especially because all the guys we had kicking penalty kicks didn’t have much experience kicking a soccer ball. The entire time we were all going crazy and screaming.”

Maddox described this year as a “transition year” for the women’s soccer team, not only with their play on the field but also with how they engage with the community off the pitch.

“This was an excellent opportunity for our team to interact with another athletic team we don’t often engage with in a fun and friendly environment,” she said. “Our team has a lot of pride and loves competition, so playing against football was a really fun experience for us all.”

Despite only participating in kicks, both teams did well and might have found a new passion. Who knows, maybe Head Football Coach Steve Opgenorth will start recruiting from the women’s soccer team if he needs someone to kick a field goal.