[Correction October 3, 2025 - In this and earlier articles this author claimed that Senior Sophia Rall had scored 5 goals this season even though the league showed her with 4. Ms. Rall confired this date that she had scored 4.]
[Update September 27, 2025, 2:05 p.m CDT- The article below was posted before the Sewanee vs. Emory game. Nationally ranked number two Division III team Emory defeated Sewanee 1-0 in today’s game at Sewanee. Sewanee, the Rhodes next opponent, falls to 5-1-1 on the season.]
[Update September 27, 2025, 4:26 p.m. CDT - Also occurring after the article below was posted Centre lost to Washington University 5-1 giving Centre a current season reord of 9-1-1.]

September 27 2025  - Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Women’s Soccer league competition begins this coming Friday, October 3, at 1 p.m. when Rhodes hosts Sewanee at the Lynx Soccer Field. Two days later, Rhodes entertains Centre. Based on non-conference games to date, those two teams are ranked number two and one respectively among the SAA teams.

So, it’s an important weekend in SAA Women’s Soccer. Let’s take a look at this year’s records for those teams.

Sewanee 5-0-1 (remember this is in non-conference competition) has been Rhodes’ nemeses in the SAA tournament the past two years beating the Lynx in the championship game 2-1 in two overtime periods in 2023 and in regulation 4-0 last year. The Tigers, however, have only four team members returning from last year'`s squad. Among those having graduated are All-American Brianna Fee, SAA Defensive Player of the Year Ashlyn Richards and Leah Atkins, who ranked ninth nationally with a 0.337 goals-against-average. The pre-season poll of SAA Women’s Soccer coaches placed Sewanee second behind Trinity (6-1-1). As mentioned, currently it is ranked second based on the non-conference games thus far.

Among those returning in 2025, Sewanee Senior Kylene Monaghan was last year’s top scorer with 4 goals and 2 assists. This year in 6 games she has 3 goals and 3 assists. There have been 10 Tiger players who have scored this year. The team has made 15 goals this season to their opponents total of one!

Common opponents between Sewanee and Rhodes so far this year are Maryville and Covenant. Sewanee won those games 2-0 and 3-0 respectively. Rhodes defeated Maryville 2-1 and Covenant 5-0.

Sewanee head coach Greg Cathell is in his sixth year at Sewanee and has a record of 43-11-10 there prior to today’s game with Emory.

Rhodes head coach McKinnon Pennell is a 2018 graduate of Sewanee, played soccer there four years, and later was an assistant coach for the Tigers. He is in his second season with the Lynx and has a 19-5-5 record at Rhodes.

Sewanee visits Rhodes to open the SAA conference season October 3, 2025, at 1 p.m.

After its first 10 games Centre has best win percentage

Centre (9-0-1) looks to be back as a really strong contender in the SAA this year, not that they haven’t been a force most years. The league standings, based on the non-conference schedule puts the Colonels at the top. Centre won the first 13 SAA tournament championships from the time the league was formed, finally losing to Rhodes in 2021. (There were actually two champions in 2021 because the 2020 season was played in the spring of that year due to the Covid pandemic, but the regular fall season 2021 championship belonged to Rhodes.) In the preseason SAA coaches’ poll, Centre was picked to come in third in the conference behind Trinity and Sewanee.

Eight players have scored goals for Centre this year and the team has 25 to the opponents 6. Centre’s lack of win this year was against Denison when it ended in a 1-1 draw. The Colonels top scorer this year is Senior Riley Givens who has 7.

The Colonels have had 3 common opponents with Rhodes so far this year: Covenant, DePauw, and Roanoke. They beat Covenant 3-1, DePauw 2-0, and Roanoke 2-0. Rhodes won the game with Covenant 5-0, with DePauw 3-0, and Roanoke 3-1.

After their first 10 games this year, again all non-conference, they are first among the SAA rankings in win percentage.

Centre is coached by Jay Hoffman, a 1996 graduate of the school. He became head coach there in 2004 and has amassed a record of 315-80-38 at Centre as of today.

Second year coach McKinnon Pennell has a 19-5-5 record as head coach of Rhodes.

Centre comes to the Rhodes campus for their game October 5, 2025, at noon.

Finally, a similar look at Rhodes. The common opponents with Sewanee and Centre are listed above. Rhodes was ranked fourth in the SAA coaches’ preseason poll. Currently, after 9 non-conference games they are tied for third based on win percentages.

Rhodes leading scorers are Senior Sophia Rall and Sophomore Maddie Carter, with 4 goals each. Rall is credited with 2 assists, Carter with one. The Lynx have scored 18 goals this season to the opponents’ 6. The SAA has recognized one Rhodes’ team member as a player of the week this season, that was Senior Grace Culver honored as the Defensive Player of the Week.

Next game: vs. Sewanee, Friday, October 3, 2025, 1 p.m. at the Rhodes College Soccer Field.
This will be the first game this year for Rhodes in its Southern Athletic Association conference. It’ll be quick preparation time for the following game two days later against Centre October 5 at Rhodes.

Are you a Rhodes graduate and a former member of the Rhodes Women's Soccer Team?
This publication would love to have a knowledgeable former player provide an analysis column.
Contact ken@lynxwomenssoccer.com

Conference Standings After Rhodes' 9 Games

September 26, 2025 - At this point, no women's soccer team in the Southern Athletic Association has played a conference game. In fact, the conference season opens when Rhodes plays Sewanee Friday, October 3, 1 p.m. at the Lynx home field. League games will the key element in the standings at the end of the season determining what teams go to the SAA tournament, the winner of which gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
Rhodes is in the number three position tied with Oglethorpe.

Here are the standings as of September 25, based on the non-conference games.

SAA Team Standings through 9/14/2025
Team	SAA Record	Overall Record	Overall Percentage
Centre	0	9-0-1	.950
Sewanee	0	5-0-1	.917
Oglethorpe	0	5-1-0	.833
Rhodes	0	7-1-1	.833
Berry	0	6-1-1	.812
Trinty	0	6-1-1	.812
Southwestern	0	4-2-2	.625
Millsaps	0	2-4-2	.375
Source: Southern Athletic Association

Centre continues to impress and is at the top spot. Centre's only blemish on what otherwise would be a perfect record so far is a tie with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (7-1-0), which is currently ranked number 12 in the nation in Division III women's soccer. Thus far, Centre has had two common opponents as Rhodes has had. Centre beat Roanoke 2-0, and bested DePauw 2-0. Rhodes defeated Roanoke 3-1 and DePauw 3-0.
Trinity, the preseason number one pick by the SAA coaches is tied with Berry in fourth place. Its only loss was to MIT and it had a tie with Pacific Lutheran University, which was the United Soccer Coach's preseason choice as the number 23 Division III team in the nation but has not been in the the top 25 list since opening week.
Next weekend (October 3-5) Rhodes plays Sewanee and Centre. Look for their outcomes with common opponents with Rhodes in the forthcoming Sewanee & Centre Weekend Games article.
Speaking of standings, after defeating Rhodes last weekend, Washington University (7-0-1) gained a few spots in the United Soccer Coach’s rankings moving up to number 5 in the nation. No SAA team is in the top 25 of the USC rankings.

Are you a Rhodes graduate and a former member of the Rhodes Women's Soccer Team?
This publication would love to have a knowledgeable former player provide an analysis column.
Contact ken@lynxwomenssoccer.com

WashU Hands Lynx First Loss

September 22, 2025 - The game seemed to be perfectly summed up by one observer: “They did to us what we usually do to other teams.”
Washington University (of St. Louis) dominated yesterday’s game with Rhodes and won by a score of 3-0. WashU came into the game ranked number 7 nationally in NCAA Division III play and are the defending national champions.
It was lonely awaiting the Lynx to advance toward the goal. Most of the game was played in WashU’s attacking half of the field. Rhodes penetrated its attacking third with control only about a dozen times.
The Bears’ first goal came after a great cross from their left side into the box was headed toward the goal but Rhodes goalkeeper Senior Olivia Barfield tipped the high ball back out but right there immediately in front of the goal was WashU's Grace Ehlert. With only the Lynx goalkeeper between her and the goal and Barfield being on the ground after jumping to tip the ball, it was an easy kick for Ehlert to put the ball in the left lower portion of the net. WashU leads 1-0 at 25:36 into the match.
One of the Rhodes hopeful efforts was when Senior Blair Rice took control of the ball midway between the halfway line and her own goal and raced forward with good chance of taking the ball into the penalty area for a good shot as she was out distancing most defenders. She was pushed from the back by a WashU player knocking Rice to the ground. The foul likely was an intentional play to stop the promising advance. Washington’s Kaci Karl was cited with a yellow card for the it. The subsequent free kick from about 27 yards straight out from the goal was a grounder wide left.
Shortly after play continued, it was stopped for the second time in two days to attend to a side referee who apparently was suffering from the heat. Official temperature in Memphis during the game ranged from 91 to 93 degrees in the shade. It was mostly sunny, so warmer for the players and officials (and spectators). Teams took an extra water break as the official received attention. It was almost 4 minutes later when play resumed.
The half ended 1-0 in Washington’s favor.
The second WashU score came after the Bears had a corner kick, the ball was bounced around in front of the goal and then sent out, where a WashU player presented the ball to rushing teammate Jadyn Aling who struck a burner into the right upper portion of the goal from 30 yards out above the jumping and outstretched hand of the goalkeeper Barfield. Score 2-0, WashU ahead at 53:43 minutes into the game.
The third Bears’ goal, and final score of the match, also was also after a corner kick. The ball was headed or shouldered in a tight grouping of players from both teams about 12-14 yards out in front of the goal. It bounced a couple of times at their feet but as soon as it settled on the ground WashU’s Noelle Dolan booted a grounder past the Rhodes goalkeeper. Bears 3, Lynx 0 at 59:33 into the match.
One other good effort by Rhodes came at about 79:50, although it is not noted in the play-by-play statistics. It was a very good offensive build up by Rhodes, after a throw in back in their own half of the field. Quite a few players took part in this effort. The final touches came from Senior Sophia Rall who was on the right side of the pitch and sent a moderately long pass to Sophomore Lina Kilgore in the center circle. She, in turn, passed it back to an on coming teammate, Junior Kat Stanley at the halfway line in center circle. Stanley runs with the ball to about 35 yards left middle of the field and passes to Freshman Aurelia Kirby who is a few yards outside the left corner of the box. She dribbles toward the center of the pitch but still well left, turns and passes it back to Kilgore who is now at the left corner of the box. Kilgore shoots. Unfortunately, the shot didn’t have much force on it and was easy for the Bear’s goalkeeper to collect.
Given the almost continuous offensive pressure Washington exhibited during most of the match, it had to be difficult for Rhodes to keep the ball out of the net. Both Rhodes goalkeepers, Senior Olivia Barfield and Senior Maggie Wakefield, however, made some excellent saves.
It did not appear any player from either team was injured during the game, always a good outcome. It is hoped the side referee who appeared to suffer from the heat is doing well.
WashU subsautostart="0" tituted liberally during the entire game, often sending in 4 or 5 players at a time. As Rhodes coach McKinnon Pennell told us earlier, that probably didn’t decrease the Bears’ effectiveness very much if at all. Listen:

Here’s the good news about the WashU game

It's always good to win a game but playing is the fun, especially for Division III players. There did not seem to be any downcast faces as some of the Rhodes team members visited with family and friends on the sidelines after that game. In fact, there were a lot of smiles. Sure, they were smiling in seeing their family and friends but it is hoped that even though they did not win this game, playing soccer remained fun for them, even this day.

This writer doesn’t exactly know what the expressed season goals are for the team. Presumably it is to win the Southern Athletic Association championship and, therefore, receive an invitation to play and compete well in the NCAA national tournament. Coach Pennell had said this would be a tough test against WashU but would give a good reading on the type of competition schools in the NCAA tournament would provide. Here’s the good news about the WashU game. Even though it was a Rhodes loss, it was a sneak peek, if you will, at what the top teams in the nation bring to the game. The experience affords the opportunity to prepare for not only the conference schedule, which begins with the next game, but also for the SAA tournament and, if fortunate enough, the NCAA contests.
The Bears took 28 shots, 10 on target. Rhodes could only manage 3 of which 2 were on target. The Lynx are credited with 7 saves, WashU only required 2.
Rhodes split the 2 day weekend event with one win (over DePauw) and this loss to WashU.
Time to rest, relax, and get ready for the rest of the season. The Rhodes team doesn't play again for 12 days. That's when the conference schedule starts. It begins with a game against Sewanee, a team that has beat the Lynx the past two years in the Southern Athletic Association's championship game. A preview of the Sewanee game will come later.
The game Sunday gives Rhodes a current season record of 7-1-1. WashU's record goes to 7-0-1.

A recap of this weekend's games with DePauw and WashU is also available on the Rhodes Athletics web site.

Since the WashU game was a sample of what the NCAA Division III top teams bring to the game and they defeated Rhodes, let’s take a look at who the Bears played prior to the Lynx game.
Trine University out of Angola, India, a member of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) is the only team this year not to loose to WashU, they tied 1-1 on September 14. Trine’s record is 4-1-2 and they are currently are fourth in the MIAA standings. But like many teams, they have yet to play a conference game. WashU out shot Trine 16 to 7, including 9 shots on goal. Trine had 8 saves, to the Bears 2.
WashU beat Westminster College (currently 2-4-0) easily 8-0. Illinois Wesleyan (currently 4-3-0) didn’t have much better luck, losing 6-0. Calvin University (currently 3-4-0) held the Bears to only 2 goals but still lost 2-0. Rose-Hulman (currently 2-4-1) couldn’t score either, dropping that game 4-0. WashU sneaked by North Central College (4-4-4) 1-0. In the game the day before they played Rhodes, WashU defeated Mary Hardin-Baylor (currently 1-4-3) 6-0.
So what does that tell us? As a totally unqualified analyst, it seems to me to say that Washington University can be challenged by good luck and perhaps a less that stellar day by the Bears. Given the records of the teams the games played prior to the Rhodes game, WashU should have been expected to win, including the Trine U. match. The only other SAA team the Bears face this year in regular season is Centre on September 27. That should be interesting. Centre has a good history in the SAA, having won the championship 10 of the 13 years of the conference’s existence but their last conference title was in 2022. But Centre may be back. They haven’t played a league game yet, but this year it has a 8-0-1 record only being tied by Denison (currently 3-2-2) in a 1-1 game. (Denison beat Roanoke College 2-0 earlier this year, Rhodes beat Roanoke 3-1 in the Lynx first game of the season.) Rhodes really is the only apparently good team, based on this season’s records, that WashU has played.

Next game: vs. Sewanee, Friday, October 3, 2025, 1 p.m. at the Rhodes College Soccer Field.
This will be the first game this year for Rhodes in its Southern Athletic Association conference. It’ll be quick preparation time for the following game two days later against Centre October 5.
A look at those upcoming games will be published at a later date.

In the earlier game Sunday at Rhodes Soccer Field, DePauw defeated Mary Hardin-Baylor 1-0.

[Photo correction: an earlier version of this article as well as its predecessor First Impression article had a photo of the WashU goalie but identified her as the Rhodes goalkeeper. The photo has been corrected. This error is very much regretted.]

It's Undefeated Nationally Ranked #7
vs. Undefeated Rhodes!

September 21, 2025 - If you like soccer, and if particularly you like women's soccer, then your eyes should be on the game today at Rhodes Soccer Field. The NCAA Division III defending national champions and Rhodes Women's Soccer mix it up at 1:30 p.m.
Washington University (St. Louis) comes into the game with 6 wins, no losses, and one tie this season and are ranked nationally as the seventh best Division III team. Rhodes brings their 7 win, no loss, one tie record to the game. In the mid-season tournament being hosted by Rhodes, WashU defeated University of Mary Hardin-Baylor 6-0. In the earlier game yesterday, the Lynx bettered DePauw 3-0. Since both teams got a good lead they were able to substitute a little more than perhaps is usual in hopes of keeping everyone fresh for today's game. The teams and game are further reviewed in the two articles below. Rhodes coach McKinnon Pennell thinks today's game will be "tough." Hear what he had to say yesterday about today's game:

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Pennell-on-upcoming-WashU-game2025Sep20.mp3

In addtion, DePauw plays Mary Hardin-Baylor at 11 a.m. at the Rhodes Soccer Field. It's a good day for women's soccer!

Another Shutout for Rhodes

Rhodes vs. DePauw

September 20, 2025 [updated Sept. 21, 2025] -  Rhodes (now 7-0-1) vs. DePauw: Actually, this starts with an impression accumulated over Rhodes’ first 8 games. The Lynx defense is awesome. In the 8 games it has only conceded 4 goals! Super defense ladies! On the other hand, Rhodes has scored 18 in those games. In this game, DePauw required 9 saves to keep the score as low as it was. Rhodes was credited with only 2 saves. DePauw took 4 shots total, half on target. The Lynx took 14, of which 12 were on target. While Rhodes goalkeepers, Senior Olivia Barfield and Senior Maggie Wakefield have made some good saves and have plenty to do otherwise helping guide the defense and placing goal kicks, the ball isn't getting to them all that often as the opponents attack thanks to the Rhodes back line and midfielders. Another indication of the Lynx solid defense, DePauw had no corner kicks. Rhodes had 5.
Today (Sunday), the Lynx women may face their toughest test yet. The format for the 4 team tournament being hosted by Rhodes was changed but it turned out that the same teams will be playing Sunday as if it hadn’t. Rhodes plays the national defending champions Washington University (WashU) who are currently ranked seventh in the nation among NCAA Division III teams.
In the first match Saturday, Rhodes shutout DePauw (now 4-2-1), winning 3-0. The scoring started early as Rhodes took the ball down the left sideline, sent a pass into the box. Control was contested and either it was passed or block back out to the left edge of the box where Rhodes sent it back in to Senior Sophia Rall who was about 6 yards from the goal. A defender was making a play for the ball but Rall sent it back to Sophomore Maddie Carter who was about 16 yards away from the goal. She struck the ball which went over the DePauw’s goalie’s head into the goal. 1-0 Rhodes leads 2 minutes 41 seconds into the match. Assist Rall.
About 8 minutes later, the Lynx defense intercepts a DePauw pass deep in their own territory and begins a transition to offense. The ball is passed to Senior Sophia Rall in the center circle and she proceeds to dribble it straight toward the goal. When a defender approaches directly in front of her, she veers off to the left side of the box and takes a shot. The DePauw goalkeeper blocks it but it ricocheted off her hands out to Sophomore Maddie Carter who is about 6 yards out from the right goal post, she fires a diagonal shot into the left side of the back of the goal. At 10:01 into the match Carter has scored a brace, 2 goals in the same game by the same player!
The half ends 2-0 Rhodes ahead.
Only one score occurred in the second half but it was a pretty one. DePauw’s goalie had a just made a nice save and kicked the ball to the halfway line but it was won by Rhodes. It was played long and the DePauw goalkeeper came out to nearly outside of the 18 yard box to meet the ball and there was a DePauw player following the ball a short distance from it. Streaking from just inside the center circle was Lynx’s Junior Ellie Lawrence who ran between the two and nudged the ball forward and to the left. She followed it to a few yards shy of the end line and took the shot from a difficult angle. Difficult for some, but not for Lawrence today, as the ball rolled easily into the goal. Rhodes lead 3-0 and that was the final score of the match.
There was one obvious injury during the game. Early in the first half a DePauw player was injured in a collision defending her goal during a Rhodes' free kick. She walked off the pitch on her own with guidance from trainers. It is hoped she is doing well and will be back in the game soon. Priorities for all are good health, good academics, and good soccer, in that order. It appeared a sideline referee also had a health issue with 11:20 left in the game and it appeared another referee took over that position for the rest of the game. We wish that official well, also.

Rhodes head coach McKinnon Pennell says there’s something very good about scoring first. Listen:
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Most of the statistics for the game which  are typically included in articles here are in the first paragraph except for the fouls. Rhodes was charged with 9, DePauw with 6. There was one yellow card issued in the game against DePauw's Liv Ehlers.

Next game: vs. Washington University, the defending NCAA Division III national champions and currently ranked number 7 in the nation, Sunday, September 21, 2025, 1:30 p.m. at the Rhodes Soccer Field.
Need more be said? Rhodes (7-0-1) faces  the WashU Bears (6-0-1) who have a history of successful  women's soccer seasons. The Bears have been the the NCAA tournament 15 times, winning the championship last year and in 2016. Their one tie this year was 1-1 with Trine University. So it's the undefeated Rhodes Women's Soccer Team against the unbeaten DePauw. Yesterday, Saturday (September 20, 2025), in its game against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor at Rhodes Soccer Field, the Cru, as UMHB is nicknamed, held off WashU for more than 30 minutes but then the Bears took over. In the end, it was WashU 6, UMHB 0.

Big Soccer Weekend for Women at Rhodes

Lynx Could Play Nation's #7 Team

Quick update: 9/19/25:  DePauw played Hanover Tuesday night after the article below was written. They tied 2-2,  bringing DePauw's record to (4-1-1).

[Corrections 9/16/25, 5:21 p.m.: some of the records in this article were initially posted with win-loss-tie out of order. I hope all have been corrected.]

September 16, 2025 - It’s a big weekend for women’s soccer at Rhodes College.

On September 20-21, the number seven ranked NCAA Division III women’s soccer team comes to Memphis and could very well play the Lynx (6-0-1) on Sunday.

Rhodes hosts the tournament and on Saturday plays DePauw University (4–1-0, but they have a game tonight).

The second match that day features the nationally number seven ranked Washington University (WashU) of St. Louis (5-0-1) against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (1-2-3).

Until today, WashU had been ranked first by the United Soccer Coaches, but dropped to number 7 in the release of rankings today.

The winners of the Saturday games are scheduled to play each other on Sunday and the teams that lost will play a consolation game. There could be a slight hitch, travel schedules could preclude one of the games on Sunday if there is a tie Saturday.

Weather forecast Saturday & Sunday, updated 9/20/25, 8:00am: Saturday: mostly sunny. High temperature 92; Sunday: mostly sunny, slight chance of showers and thunerstorms before 7am, 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. High temperature 93.

"we’ve been wanting... to continue challenging ourselves"

A pretty good challenge faces Rhodes, but that seems to be Coach McKinnon Pennell's idea of a good time.

That’s something we’ve been wanting to do is to continue challenging ourselves. At the end of the season we want to be playing the best teams in the country in the NCAA tournament so hopefully this prepares us well. Three quality teams come to town in DePauw, WashU, the number one team in the country and defending national champions, and Mary Hardin-Baylor out of Texas. So, we’ll really be challenging ourselves this weekend and get a really good sense of how we fare against the top teams in the country.

So here we go. Challenge accepted.

DePauw is led by head coach Cristin Allen. DePauw may be in Indiana but Allen is no stranger to Tennessee. She is a graduate of Belmont University in Nashville, where she still holds some team soccer records. She’s been coaching soccer for more than 20 years. In her time at as head coach at DePauw, beginning in 2019, she has amassed a record of 62-32-17. In her first year at DePauw, she was named the North Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. Prior to tonight’s (Tuesday) game, her Tiger’s record this season has only one loss, and that was to Centre College (6-0-1). Centre, by the way, is in the same conference as Rhodes, the Southern Athletic Association, and will play the Lynx on October 5.

Washington University, or WashU as it is widely known, is a significant force in Division III women’s soccer. WashU has played in the NCAA national tournament 15 times, including winning the championship last year, winning the tournament in 2016, and has been runner up three times. The team is led by head coach Jim Conlon, who first took the job in 2008. His cumulative record at WashU is 263-44-34 in 15 years (he left WashU for one year and another year there was no competition soccer due to the pandemic). Conlon is a Loras College graduate who played on its soccer team four years.

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor’s head coach is Barry Elkins, who also happens to have graduated from there. He took the job in 2012 and his record for The Cru, that’s the college’s sports nickname, is 132-46-16, but we’re not sure that’s current. He was a four-year letterman for UMHB men’s soccer team and was team captain.

Head coach McKinnon Pennell is in his second year at Rhodes, which is also his second year as a collegiate head coach. To date his record with the Lynx is 18-4-2, including the runner up spot in the Southern Athletic Association’s championship tournament last year. He is a 2018 graduate of conference member Sewanee where he played soccer four years and later was assistant coach. Pennell also was an assistant coach at The Citadel and Director of Soccer Operations at Old Dominion University.

It may not get much easier, if at all, after this weekend's tournament. The next game, October 3, 2025, is against  Sewanee (3-0-1 but they have a game tonight), a team to which Rhodes has lost the SAA championship game for the past two years. Two days later, October 5, Centre College (6-0-1 but they have a game Friday) comes to town.

Stay tuned!

Rhodes Moves Up in Conference Standings

Lynx in #2 Spot

Even Play, Even Score in Second Match

August 31, 2025 (Appended 9/3/2025) - Overall it seemed to be an even match between the Rhodes' Women's Soccer Team and that from the University of Lynchburg and the score ended that way — a zero-zero tie.

The game was the second in two days for both teams as they were in the
 College Invitational tournament, a series of four contests designed such as there was no champion. Both Rhodes and Lynchburg won their games the previous day, so it was an undefeated against an undefeated since these were the first games of the season for the teams.

The first several minutes seemed to favor Lynchburg, but after about 10 minutes Rhodes took over and eventually possessed the ball for 62% of the first half. More importantly, the Lynx had several good opportunities to score but were unable to finish with a goal in any of them.

Lynchburg came out ready to play in the second half with a more aggressive defense and the possession appeared to be more equal (the possession statistic was not immediately available). Lynchburg also had a few scoring opportunities in the half but like Rhodes, was unable to capitalize on them.

It was probably a frustrating game for both teams, especially for Rhodes which took a total of 11 shots, five on goal whereas Lynchburg had only six shots with  two on target.

Rhodes goalkeeper Olivia Barfield was credited with two saves but she almost certainly prevented at least one other likely goal by Lynchburg at 70:20 into the game. The Hornet's Madelyn Boyce received a pass about 35 yards out from goal and took the ball to the just inside the left corner of the penalty area. She sent a pass diagonally across towards the far post where here teammate Lauren Orner was making a run. There was only one Rhodes player between Orner and the goal but that player was Barfield, who dove to capture the pass before Orner could strike.

Rhodes' season record now stands at 1-0-1, as does Lynchburg's.

There was one player carded during the match, a yellow card against Rhodes' Kat Stanley.

The Lynx were cited for 9 fouls while Lynchburg was called for 8.
The Hornets were credited with 5 saves, Rhodes with 2.

Read the game 1 and game 2 summary as provided on the Rhodes College Athletics site written by team member Kayleigh Doherty

Rhodes women continue their busy week with another away game Wednesday evening against  the  Mississippi University for Women (now 0-2-0) in Columbus, Mississippi.

Update 9/3/2025 - MUW, also known as The W, or the Owls, have lost their first two games. The University of the Ozarks (now 1-1-0) scored a goal in the second half to break the halftime 1-1 tie and win 2-1 on August 31 in an away game at Clarksville, Arkansas. The next day, MUW traveled to Conway, Arkansas to play the former SAA conference member Hendrix College (now 1-1-0). Hendrix scored once in the first half and added two more goals in the second to win 3-0.

The Rhodes game with MUW will be the Owls' home opener while it's the third game, all on the road, for Rhodes.

From the Southern Athletic Conference notable performances:

Rhodes Senior Sophia Rall powered the Lynx offense over the weekend, scoring two goals in the team’s 3-1 victory over Roanoke. Rall recorded three shots, including two on goal, and found the back of the net in both halves to help secure the win. She followed up with another strong performance against Lynchburg on August 31, tallying two more shots and putting one on frame in a tightly contested 0-0 draw. Across the two matches, Rall totaled four shots, three shots on goal, and four points, leading the Lynx attack.

Rhodes senior Olivia Barfield anchored the Lynx defense with back-to-back complete-game performances in goal, logging 180 minutes without conceding a goal from open play. Against Roanoke, Barfield faced eight total shots and allowed just one goal, before recording a shutout in the 0-0 draw against Lynchburg. She made two key saves in the Lynchburg match and helped organize a backline that allowed only 14 combined shots across both contests. Barfield finished the weekend with a 0.50 goals-against average and a .667 save percentage, helping Rhodes remain unbeaten through the opening weekend. check here

Rhodes Opens Soccer Season with Victory!

August 30, 2025 - The Rhodes College Women's Soccer Team began its 2025 season in fine style, defeating Roanoke College 3-1 in a game played in Salem Virginia.

Senior Sophia Rall, one of last year's scoring leaders, picked up where she left off last season, achieving a "brace" in the game — that is to say she scored two goals in the game. The first came 18 minutes 12 seconds into the match. The Lynx had a free kick after Freshman Midfielder Aurelia Kirby was fouled. She took the free kick from about 27 yards almost straight out from the goal. It hit the cross bar after perhaps being touched by the Roanoke goalkeeper and bounced to the right where Rhodes Freshman Defender Abby Bell headed the ball high into the box (penalty area). Rall headed the ball into the net for her first goal of the day.

Rhodes held the 1-0 lead until 25:32 into the game when Roanoke controlled the ball in its attacking third after a Rhodes throw in. After about three passes Roanoke Junior Rebecca Carr received the ball about ten yards outside the box, she got by a Rhodes defender and fired a shot into the goal from just outside the the right corner of the box. Score was then tied at 1-1, where it remained at half time.

Rall got her second goal some 12 minutes into the second half at 57:24 into the match. She received a pass from  Sophomore Maddie Carter about 30 yards out from the goal. Rall raced forward with the ball at her feet past 3 Roanoke defenders, including the Roanoke goalkeeper who came out to meet her, and took the shot from about 7 or 8 feet out. After she passed the goalkeeper just outside the 6 foot area, there was no one in her way and she put the ball in the back of the net.

The final score of the match came when Rhodes Junior Ellie Lawrence delivered a cross from the right sideline toward the back post and a Rhodes player (sorry, I couldn't determine who) was shoved in the back right in front of the goal. The Referee called the foul and awarded a penalty kick. Senior Grace Culver kicked the ball low into the right side of the goal as the Roanoke goalkeeper guessed wrong and dove left.

No one was carded for either side.

Rhodes took 15 shots, 9 of which were on target. Roanoke took 8 with only one on target, which was the one goal they scored. The Lynx were tagged for 6 fouls while Roanoke got 7.
The Maroons were credited with 6 saves, Rhodes with none.

Rhodes had 3 corner kicks to Roanoke's 7.

Rhodes next game is tomorrow morning, Sunday, August 31, when it takes on the Hornets of the University of Lynchburg at the same venue in Salem, Virginia.

[Correction: in the above story about Rhodes vs. Roanoke, the team name Radford was sometimes erroneously entered instead of Roanoke. The error is very much regretted.]

Preseason Southern Athletic Association Rankings

2025 Season Set to Begin

The Rhodes College Women's Soccer season officially opens August 30 when the team travels to Salem, Virginia, to challenge Roanoke College in the RC Invitational in Kerr Stadium. Lynx's McKinnon Pennell will be in his second season at Rhodes, which is his first NCAA Division III head coaching position. He led the Rhodes Women to 12 wins, 4 losses, and one tie (12-4-1) in 2024 including the loss to Sewanee in the Southern Athletic Association's tournament championship. It was the second year in a row Rhodes came in short in the SAA championship having also lost to Sewanee in 2023.

After last season, the United Soccer Coaches voted Rhodes' then Junior Sophia Rall to first team All-Region honors. Additional All-Regions selections last year were Mary Gale Godwin (Senior), second team; Esther Lamb (Senior), Taylor Theofiledes (Junior), and Megan Propp (Senior), third team. The five Lynx players tied for the highest number on the All-Region selections with Sewanee. (All the designations for these honors refer to the ladies' class year standing last autumn.)

While college athletics can provide many benefits for players and audiences, the educational experience is what it is all about. Of the 36 women on the Rhodes Women's Soccer roster for the 2024 season, 33 made the Southern Athletic Association Academic Honor Roll, which is 91.6%. The ladies had to meet the minimum grade point average of 3.25 for the fall semester. Congratulations to them for their outstanding accomplishments.

I would be remiss if I didn't admit I'm really going to miss all last year's seniors who have graduated. I'd watched their performances on the Rhodes' pitch during their career there, excluding when campus access was restricted during the pandemic. I watched them via streaming video then, as I did for most away games.

One more thing before the season begins. How would you like to be a starter for the first game of your college freshman season? That's what Emily Russum, hometown Littleton, Colorado, did at Rhodes last year. Her playing time, however, was very limited. Very, very limited. As she advanced the ball near her right sideline in that first game, there was a collision with an defensive player. In less than a minute of play, I had it at 32 seconds into the match but some vary it by a few seconds, she suffered a season ending knee injury.

Now this writer is in awe of those who play sports at Rhodes and other NCAA Division III academically rigorous institutions. There are no sports scholarships. These athletes play because they love their sport, devoting many hours in practice, travel, and play. All the while, maintaining their grades - typically at a high level for the women on the Rhodes soccer team, as noted above.

 You must really love the game to suffer a season ending injury about 32 seconds into your first game of your college career and come back to the game. That's Emily Russum for you. She was back on the field for the one allowed scrimmage game against Christian Brothers University this spring. Expect to see her on the pitch soon! That seems to exempify the spirt of all the women who play soccer for Rhodes College and perhaps other sports and other schools, too.

No Athletic Scholarships, No Name-Image-Likeness Money from the College,
Just a Lot of Hard Work — And the Joy of the Game

These women athletes are so impressive with their skill, intelligence, and fortitude.

Want to see some athletes play for the joy of it, with no scholarship, no name-image-likeness money from the college, and probably no professional player role in their long term future? Check out the Division III sporting events. Especially the Rhodes College Women's Soccer. You would have a hard time finding more devoted young adult athletes demonstrating what college sports are, or should be, about.

It is hoped to have a new article here the evening of the day after each game of the Rhodes College Women's Soccer season, or perhaps Monday evening for weekend games. Please attend the games if you can and check out this page for a recap of past games and a preview of the coming week.