` Rhodes Lynx Women's Soccer

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

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THE 2025 SEASON - see advisory below

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For more on the Rhodes College Women's Soccer program including full schedule, statistics, player profiles, and news, please visit RhodesLynx.com

2026 Record: Overall: 8-2-1 — Conference: 2-1-1

2026 Match Schedule Campus Map to Soccer Field

Preview: Rhodes vs. Covenant

Lookout, Here Come the Lynx

October 12, 2026 - Rhodes College Women’s Soccer Team (8-2-1 overall, 2-1-1 conference) travels to Lookout Mountain, Georgia, for a non-conference game with Covenant College (4-4-2 overall, 3-0-1 in the Collegiate Conference of the South). It’s an unexpected break from the league play as this game was rescheduled from earlier in the season.

The Scots are ranked number two in the CCS behind Belhaven, which has a perfect 4-0-0 record in that conference.

Covenant this year has played three teams in common that Rhodes has played already this season. Here are the outcomes of those games.

Rhodes and Sewanee tied 0-0, Covenant lost to Sewanee 1-0.
The Lynx lost to Barry, 1-0, the Scots lost 4-1.
Rhodes beat Maryville 5-1, Covenant tied 2-2.

Last year, Covenant was defeated by Rhodes 5-0.

In other games played against common opponents in 2025, the results were:

Covenant lost to Centre 3-1; Rhodes got the victory against Centre 1-0;
The Scots lost to Oglethorpe 3-1, the Lynx beat Oglethorpe last year 2-1 and this past Sunday bested them 3-0;
Covenant played to a draw with Barry last year, Rhodes defeated Barry, 1-0, last year but lost 1-0 this year;
Emory mastered Covenant 7-0 last year in the regular season, Rhodes lost to Emory in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament 2-0;
Covenant lost to Sewanee last year 3-0, Rhodes tied Sewanee 1-1, in the regular season and claimed a victory in the Southern Athletic Association championship tournament;
Belhaven lost to Covenant 4-0 last year, whereas Rhodes was a 2-0 winner in 2025 and this year also came out on top 3-0;
The Scots lost to Maryville last year. 2-0, the Lynx won the 2025 game 2-1 and this year conquered Maryville 5-0.

Covenant finished last year’s with a record of. 6-9-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the CCS, and lost to Kentucky ‘s Asbury University in first round of their conference tournament.

Rhodes and Covenant have faced off in 2014 and 2025. Rhodes won both contests.

The 2026 Scots scoring leader is AT Simon with six goals followed closely by Lila Wiley with five. The leading scorer for Rhodes is Freshman Ella Mullally with nine.

Mark Duble, Covenant Coach

Nine players have scored this year for Covenant. Thirteen have scored for Rhodes.

Mark Duble is in his 33rd season as the Head Women's Soccer Coach for Covenant. He has amassed an overall record of 329-212-53, and in conference play 167-42-28. He as been Coach of the Year six times for other conferences and NAIA Region XII Coach of the Year twice. Duble began coaching the Lady Scots club team in 1993 before the program became varsity in 1994. His father was a Vice President for Advancement at Covenant College in the 1960s and 1970s, and Coach Duble played soccer at Covenant and was a team captain. McKinnon Pennell, Rhodes Coach

McKinnon Pennell is in his third year as Rhodes’ Head Women's Soccer Coach. His head coaching record, all at Rhodes, stands at 33-11-4 overall and 10-4-3 in the conference. Other than that update on the record to reflect the most recent game, you may read about Pennell in the previously posted information here.

Early weather forecast for Lookout Mountain, Georgia for game time: sunny, temperature 88, heat index 92, wind southwest 2 mph. (Forecast as of 1:26 pm CT. Oct 12)

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Win Over Oglethorpe

Sets Example for Rest of Season

October 11, 2026 - [This rewrite replaces the First Impression article posted earlier today.] [Updated October 12, 2026 to add rotating image of Seniors with family and the Senior Day introductions audio.] Actually, we start today with a long standing belief. That is today’s events are some of the most important to occur on the soccer pitch. It's to recognize and appreciate the seniors on the team. So let’s do that. Our appreciation and congratulations to Seniors Ellie Lawrence, Kat Stanley, Mallory Goldstein, Erin Strickland, and Annie Cimino. Your academic successes and leadership on and off the field are appreciated.
2026 Rhodes College Team Seniors with family

2026 Rhodes College Team Seniors with family

To the right you can see the Seniors with their families. Listen to their credits as they were introduced to the crowd before the game: Listen.

The happy recognition of the seniors was followed by a happy outcome of the soccer match. The Lynx (8-2-1 overall, 2-1-1 conference) defeated Oglethorpe (4-5-1 overall, 1-3-0 conference) by a score of 3-0.

It’s time once again to apologize to those players who make many great defensive plays during the game, and also to back line and midfielders who don’t get the opportunity to score. Highlighting scoring plays is easy. Picking among the multitude of good defensive plays is difficult. So, like most media, here more attention is given to the plays resulting in goals. If you are not among those highlighted, please know that your contributions are critical and appreciated.

Rhodes goals today were achieved with impressive sequences.

The first goal was made by Junior Lina Kilgore assist by Senior Ellie Lawrence. The Lynx work the ball into the middle from their right side where Kilgore receives it. She passes forward to Lawrence. The ball is sent back to Kilgore who maneuvers through several defenders to a little open space and shoots from some 25 yards out. Goal! Score Rhodes 1, Oglethorpe 0 at 8:26 into the match. Watch. modhere

Rhodes defense intercepts pass. Rhodes vs. Oglethorpe, 2026

Rhodes defense intercepts pass. Rhodes vs. Oglethorpe, 2026

The second goal also showed skill in the sequence. Rhodes works the ball from the middle of the pitch to the right side to Sophomore Sydney Gallagher. She makes a short pass to Sophomore Aurelia Kirby who dribbles toward the middle of the field drawing defenders with her. Gallagher runs farther down the right side free of defenders and receives a return pass from Kirby. Gallagher dribbles deep into the right side of the penalty area and delivers a cross in front of the goal where Junior Maddie Carter uses her right foot to tap the ball into the right bottom corner of the goal. Score Rhodes 2, Oglethorpe 0 at 20:01 into the match. The assist is Gallagher's. Watch.

The first half ended with that score.

The third Lynx tally came off a set piece after the Stormy Petrels committed a foul. Senior Mallory Goldstein took the free kick from perhaps 35 yards out fairly close to her left sideline. She delivers a great ball into the right side of the 18 yard box where it is kicked back into the middle of the box. Freshman Ella Mullally rockets the ball into the upper right center of the net for the final score of the game. The Lynx leading scorer is Mullally and this made her total for the season nine goals. Score Rhodes 3, Oglethorpe 0 at 70:56 into the match. Watch.

Although it appeared to be a rather physical game, there didn’t seem to be any injuries.
Previously injured Rhodes players Junior Jane Volf and Freshman Claire Lyons, as expected, did not play in this game. It is hoped they are healing well.

Twenty-two Lynx players got into the game.

Let’s take a look at the numbers:

Rhodes took eleven shots with four on target. Oglethorpe had three with one on target.
Each team had one save.
The Lynx got 3 corner kicks, the Stormy Petrels none.
Rhodes was called for 14 fouls, Oglethorpe for eleven. (See what I mean about a physical game?)
One caution (yellow card) was issued against a Oglethorpe player.

By the way, while it certainly is not the focus of the scorekeeper, the attendance for this game in the statistics is 50. A photo of some of people watching the game easily shows 100 in attendance and there were a few more which were not in the photo.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Preview: Rhodes vs. Oglethorpe

Lynx Seek Return to Victories

October 10, 2026 - Oglethorpe University (4-4-1 overall and 1-2 conference) is looking to extend their winning as they come to Rhodes College soccer field on Sunday. Its conference games started off a little rough for Oglethorpe as they lost to Barry and Centre. They recovered Friday with a win against Millsaps. The Stormy Petrels, which is their nickname, would like another conference victory this weekend.

The visitors will face a stingy defense and a potentially potent offense in the 11 a.m. CT game when they face the Rhodes College Women’s Soccer Team (overall 7-2-1, conference 1-1-1).

Coach McKinnon Pennell says the team must keep focused for the entire game. Listen.

There was concern that the remnants of hurricane Isaias might leave the Rhodes Soccer Field flooded and a potential option to play at a high school field which has artificial turf was arranged, just in case it was needed. It now appears almost all the rain missed Memphis and the game will be played at the Rhodes College Soccer Field.

The only team Oglethorpe has faced so far this year that Rhodes has also played is Berry. The Stormy Petrels lost to Berry 4-1 and Rhodes lost, also, 1-0.

Last year, Rhodes beat Oglethorpe 2-1.

In other games against common opponents in 2025:

Oglethorpe defeated Covenant College 3-1, Rhodes beat Covenant 5-0;
The Stormy Petrels lost to Emory 3-0 In the regular season, the Lynx lost to Emory 2-0 in the second round of the Division III NCAA Championship Tournament;
Oglethorpe fell to Trinity 3-0, Rhodes lost to Trinity 1-0 in the regular season and again in the SAA tournament 3-0;
Oglethorpe defeated Southwestern 2-0, Southwestern prevailed over Rhodes 1-0;
Oglethorpe bested Millsaps 3-1, Rhodes got the better of Millsaps 3-0;
Sewanee took the victory over the Stormy Petrols 2-0, the Lynx tied Sewanee 1-1 in the regular season last year but defeated them 1-0 in the SAA tournament;
Oglethorpe edged Centre 1-0 last year in the regular season but lost to it in the SAA tournament 3-0, Rhodes won in its game with Centre in the regular season 1-0;
Barry and Oglethorpe played to a 0-0 draw.

Oglethorpe finished the 2025 season with a record of 9-5-1 overall and 3-3-1 in the conference regular season

Records indicate Rhodes and Oglethorpe have played 39 games against one another since 1991 with the Lynx winning 37 and Oglethorpe two. Those two came in 1999 and 2002. So it’s been a 27 game losing streak against Rhodes for the Stormy Petrels.

This year, Oglethorpe has had 17 goals to opponents 20. The Stormy Petrels have taken 142 shots, 70 of which have been on target. Oglethorpe has had 28 corner kicks, its challengers 40. Oglethorpe has made 50 saves, its opponents 41.

The stormy Petrels leading scorer is Evan Thomas with eight goals. Six Oglethorpe players have scored. Rhodes leading scorer is Freshman Ella Mullally with eight goals.

Two Rhodes team members who prior to injuries in earlier games had significant playing time, Junior Jane Volf and Freshman Claire Lyons, are expected to remain inactive for this game.

Rob King, Oglethrope Coach

Rob King is in his 5th year as head coach at Oglethorpe. He also has been head coach at Young Harris College, Kennesaw State University and the University of Montevallo. His overall record as a head coach is. 263-195-37. His record at Oglethorpe is 28-31-11.

At Kennesaw State, he led the women’s soccer team to the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2003. As a college player, King was a three-year letter-winner for the University of Alabama-Huntsville. King graduated from the University of Alabama Huntsville in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology.

McKinnon Pennell is in his third year as Rhodes’ Head Women's Soccer Coach. His head coaching record, all at Rhodes, stands at 32-11-4 overall and 9-4-3 in the conference. Other than that update on the record to reflect the most recent game, you may read about Pennell in the previously posted information here.

Weather forecast for game time at Rhodes: sunny skies, temperature 73, wind west northwest 5 mph. (forecast as of 6:15 p.m. Oct. 10)

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Berry Beats Lynx

Penalty Leads to 1-0 Loss

October 10, 2026 - [this rewrite replaces the First Impression article posted yesterday.] The Vikings spoiled the Lynx return to home field play. Berry put pressure on the Rhodes defensive third in the first half. The Rhodes Lynx put the pressure on Berry’s goal in the second half. Game statistics indicate Rhodes outshot Berry, 19 to four, with the Lynx having seven on target to the Vikings only two. What counted, however, was the winner which was Barry’s on a penalty kick about 14 minutes into the match. That was the only score of the game.

shot by Hadley Carrington will be saved by Berry

Both teams played quite good defense.

Two of Barry’s players were injured but walked off the field on their own power. It is not known to what degree those injuries might be. There appeared to be no Lynx injuries.

This publication was hoping to provide a injury report on two Rhodes players who were hurt in previous games. Jane Volf and. Claire Lyons did not play in today’s match. The coaching staff was not able to share information about their injuries.

Perhaps the best description of the match is from someone who knows the game well and knows the team. Rhodes Women’s Soccer Head Coach McKinnon Pennell says a slow start hurt the Lynx. Listen.

Let’s look at the numbers:

Rhodes took 19 shots, seven of which were on target, Berry had only four shots, two on target;
Rhodes made 1 save, Berry 7;
the Lynx had seven corner kicks to Berry’s one;
Rhodes was called for four fouls, Berry was tagged for eight;
One caution (yellow card) was issued against a Berry player.

With numbers like that, except for the one penalty shot that got through, one would have anticipated a Rhodes win, but it was not to be. Berry kept the ball out of their goal to preserve the victory.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Preview: Rhodes vs. Berry

It's Good to be Home

October 7, 2026 - It will have been 24 days since the Rhodes Women's Soccer Team played a game on their home field.

The women of Berry Vikings (6-4-0 overall, 1-1-0 conference) come to town Friday for a 3:30 conference match up with the Rhodes College Women’s Soccer Team (7-1-1 overall, 1-0-1 conference).

So far this year, Berry has not played any common opponents that Rhodes has played this season. In the two SAA conference teams Berry has played in 2026, it defeated Oglethorpe 4-1 but lost to Centre College 2-0. Centre (6-2-3 overall, 2-0-0 conference) currently is at the top of the SAA standings.

Last year, Rhodes defeated Berry 1-0. (yes, in the photo below, it was a successful steal)
Rhodes vs. Berry, 2025

In other games with common opponents in 2025:

Berry lost to Emory in the regular season 2-1, while Rhodes lost to Emory in the second round of the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament 2-0;
The Vikings tied Covenant 1-1;
Berry fell to Maryville 1-0, Rhodes won 2-1 and this year was victorious 5-1 on Sunday;
Southwestern and Berry tied 0-0 last year; Rhodes lost to Southwestern 1-0;
The Vikings also played to a draw with Trinity; the Lynx lost to Trinity 1-0 in the regular season and again in the SAA tournament 3-0;
Berry outscored Millsaps 5-1; Rhodes defeated Millsaps 3-0;
Centre beat Berry 1-0 last year, while Rhodes beat Centre 1-0;
Sewanee and Berry tied 1-1;
and Berry ended their 2025 regular season in a 0-0 draw with Oglethorpe.

Berry’s 2025 record was 7-4-5 overall and 1-2-4 in the conference.

In the past 25 years, Berry and Rhodes have played 20 times. The Lynx have won twelve times, Berry five and they’ve tied in three games.

This year, Berry has outscored opponents with 39 goals to the challengers 12. The Vikings have taken 255 shots of which 117 were on target while its adversaries have had 115 shots with 48 on target. The Vikings have had 49 corner kicks to their opponents 39.
Rhodes has made 28 goals on 204 shots, challengers 4 goals on 49 shots. Of the 204 Lynx shots, 93 were on target. Opponents had 24 on target. Rhodes has had 76 corner kicks to the competitors' 18.

With six goals to her name Berry’s leading scorer is Gianna Maimone. She wears jersey number 7. Rhodes goal leader is Ella Mullally with 8 goals.

Sixteen Vikings have scored this season. Thirteen Lynx have put the ball in the net.

With 22% of the conference schedule completed here are the standings.

Southern Athletic Association Women's Soccer Standings as of Oct. 6, 2026

With 56% of the Rhodes total regular season games completed, here are the NPI Rankings. The NCAA Division III Power Index ranks Rhodes currently at position number. 49. Two other SAA teams rank higher in the NPI. Berry ranks 16 and Trinity is at 12.

It is still expected that the rankings will modify substantially as the season progresses. At this point, however, it does seem that Trinity, last year’s SAA Championship team, is a force with which to be reckoned. One would think there is less confidence in Berry.

You may remember that the Southern Athletic Association Preseason Coaches' survey selected Trinity as the likely number one in the conference, Sewanee number two, Rhodes three, and Berry number eight of the nine teams in the league. Trinity has broken into the United Soccer Coaches Division III rankings this week at number 25.

There are only two times the rankings really matter. At the end of the regular season, the SAA selects the teams to invite and the seeding of them in its championship tournament. Six of the nine teams will be invited to play postseason in the SAA. The winner, like all conference champions, gets an automatic entry to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament. Based on the NPI rankings after regular season and conference tournament play is over, the NCAA selects its at-large teams for its national championship tournament. Conference champions automatically get a bid to the NCAA tournament but the remaining spots are based on that NPI ranking. Last year Rhodes College, ranked number 42 and was invited to the national tournament. No team with a worse ranking was invited as an at-large entry. So, that 40-something ranking or better could be important for teams not winning their conference tournament.

Although it’s still early for drawing conclusions or making predictions, the rankings do being to give an inkling of the strength of various teams. It would seem Trinity is shaping up to be a fierce opponent later in this season for Rhodes and any other SAA team. Trinity and Rhodes meet on the pitch at Trinity October 30.

Every game is important and perhaps especially so in conference play. So there are several games between now and then for Rhodes, starting with Friday’s conference match with the Berry Vikings.

Kathy Brown, Berry College Women's Soccer Coach

Kathy Brown, Berry College Women's Soccer Coach

Berry is led by head coach Kathy Brown, who is in her sixth season there and has an overall record with the Vikings of 44-33-9. As a head coach her overall record is 96-108-15. Before Berry, Brown was women's soccer head coach at NCAA Division II Lock Haven University for three years. Prior to Lock Haven, she began the women's soccer program at Young Harris College, serving as the head coach for 18 years where she led the team to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I National Championship in 2006. That same year she was chosen the National Coach of the Year by both the NJCAA and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Brown is a graduate of Berry College earning a degree in psychology in 1995 and obtained a Master’s degree in community agency counseling from Jacksonville State University where she also was an assistant soccer coach for two years.

Kathy Brown played soccer at Berry during her undergraduate yeas and was starting defender on the 1993 NAIA National Championship team that finished the year 18-4-1.

McKinnon Pennell is in his third year as Rhodes’ Head Women's Soccer Coach. His head coaching record, all at Rhodes, stands at 32-10-4 overall and 9-3-3 in the conference. Other than that update on the record to reflect the most recent game, you may read about Pennell in the previously posted information here.

Early weather forecast for Friday's game time at Rhodes: sunny, temperature 90 degrees, heat index 88, wind eas 9 mph. There is a forecast for "moderate" level of ozone in the Memphis area for Friday, which may result in an Air Quality Alert. Air quality may be reviewed at www.airnow.gov (Weather forecast as of 9:17 a.m. Oct. 9)

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably

Rhodes Takes Maryville 5-1

October 5, 2026 - [This article is updated to replace the First Impression report posted yesterday] - After a loss to the number one Division III team in the nation, WashU (overall 11-0-0, UAA conference 1-0-0), and a tie with rival Sewanee (overall 5-1-3, conference 1-0-1), Rhodes College Women’s Soccer Team (overall 7-1-1, conference 1-0-1) returned to their winning ways. It was a relatively comfortable victory over Maryville, 5-1.

Although it was based on initial conference games, Maryville was ranked number one in the standings for the Southern Athletic Association going into Sunday’s match. Although it truly gives a false impression this early in the conference schedule, just for fun it could be said that Rhodes knocked off the conference’s number one ranked team. Full disclosure, the Scots were ranked number 97 in the NCAA Power Index.

The primary disappointment of the day was a Lynx clean sheet was prevented by a goal in the last 57 seconds of the match by Maryville. The Scots had also put the ball in the back of the net early in the second half but that goal was negated by an offsides violation.

Junior Maddie Carter led the scoring in Sunday’s game with a brace, both goals coming in the second half. Also putting the ball in the back of the net were Rhodes 2026 scoring leader Freshman Ella Mullally, Freshman Savvy Palmer and Sophomore Kyleigh Wilson. Thirteen Lynx players have made goals this season.

Rhodes vs. Maryville, 2026, Lynx goal scorers

With about 31 minutes left in the match. Senior Captain Cat Stanley was involved in a collision with two Maryville players near the halfway line. She was not immediately able to get up and a substitute was sent in for her. Stanley did not return to the game. She was seen after the game, however, walking on her own and carrying a satchel and a backpack. It is hoped that means she is OK. Neither of the two Rhodes players injured in previous games, Junior Jane Volf and Freshman Claire Lyons, played in today’s game.

Twenty of the Rhodes players got playing time in the match.

Here’s how the Lynx racked up the goals.

Ella Mullally begins the scoring vs. Maryville, 2026

Ella Mullally begins the scoring vs. Maryville, 2026

Rhodes first goal came 8:47 into the match. It was off a throw-in in the attacking third of the Lynx. After a pass, a touch by an opponent, and then another quick pass, Freshman Ella Mullally received the ball about 40 yards out as she was facing away from the goal. Surrounded by Maryville players, one in front and one in back of her, Mullally does a turn, gets away, and dribbles the ball to a relatively open area about 30 yards out in the center of the pitch and fires a shot. It hits the top crossbar and ricochets down into the net. Score 1-0, Rhodes ahead.

Savvy Palmer adds the second goal vs. Maryville, 2026

Savvy Palmer adds the second goal vs. Maryville, 2026

The Lynx second goal came 18:08 into the match. It came during a transition. Junior Maddie Carter passed the ball long to Freshman Ella Mullally as Mullally ran down the left side. As a defender approached Mullally, she passed back to Freshman Savvy Palmer making a run, center pitch, 17 yards out. As the ball touched the ground on the second bounce, Palmer sends a blast center high into the net. Score Rhodes 2. Maryville 0. Assist to Mullally.

That was the score at the end of the first half.

As mentioned, early in the second half, Maryville put the ball in the back of the net but the score was disallowed because of an offside violation.

As the period progressed, it became Junior Maddie Carter’s turn and she did it with heart. It came on another possession transition when Freshmen Savvy Palmer made a nice steal of the ball from a Maryville player about 50 yards out in the Rhodes’ attacking half. Freshman Ellie Lawrence pointed ahead to where she wanted to receive the ball and begins a run down the center of the pitch. Palmer makes a great pass to Lawrence, who then makes a perfect pass to Junior Maddie Carter farther down the field. Carter shoots from about 15 yards out. The Maryville goalkeeper has come out about halfway between Carter and the goal and deflects the ball. It’s not enough, the ball goes into the goal for a Lynx score. Rhodes leads 3-0 at 60:13 into the contest. Assist to Lawrence. Watch.

Goal number 4 comes as Rhodes is on the offense after a goal kick. The ball ends up at the feet of Freshman Ella Mullally just left of the center circle behind the halfway line. She beats a defender and makes a 30 yard long pass forward which skips along the ground. Junior Maddie Carter catches up to it at about the 18 yard box left of center and sends a slow row to the right between two defenders and to the right bottom portion of the net. At 61:52 into the match, it’s Rhodes 4, Maryville 0. That’s a brace for Carter, her second goal of the game, and the second assist in the match for Mullally.

There’s nearly 30 minutes left in the game at this point. Time for two more goals, one by Rhodes and one by Maryville.

Kyleigh Wilson caps Rhodes win with 5th goal vs. Maryville, 2026

Kyleigh Wilson caps Rhodes win with 5th goal vs. Maryville, 2026

With about 18 minutes left in the match. Junior Lena Kilgore receives a pass at the left corner of the 18 yard box. She outmaneuvers a defender and kicks a wonderful airborne cross which Freshman Kyleigh Wilson heads into the upper right portion of the goal from about 14 yards out. It’s beyond the reach of the Scot’s goalkeeper and makes the score 5-0. Assist to Kilgore.

It looked like it might be a clean sheet for Rhodes, but with 57 seconds left a Scots' player is battling to keep possession of the ball in her attacking third about 18 yards out. She is surrounded by at least two Lynx players fighting for the ball and loosely by two others but is able to find an opening and shoots the ball into the right side of the net, opposite where the Rhodes’ goalkeeper is, for the final score of the game. Rhodes 5, Maryville 1.

Let's look at the numbers:
Rhodes took 16 shots 9 of which were on target, Maryville had 7 shots, five of them on target;
Each team had four saves;
The Lynx got three corner kicks, the Scots two;
Both teams were called for four fouls each;
There were no cautions (yellow cards) or ejections (red cards) issued.

There was the one noticeable injury to Rhodes Senior Captain Kat Stanley but it appeared after the game she may be OK. It is hoped to have a status report on all in-game injujuries posted here soon.

It will be back to the Rhodes College home field after nearly three weeks for the team to play Berry (overall 6-4-1, conference 1-1-0) on Friday.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Preview: Rhodes vs. Maryville

Newcomer Has Early Lead in Conference

October 3, 2026 - Rhodes (6-1-1 overall, 0-0-1 conference) has not had a home game in nearly three weeks, and Sunday is no exception. The Lynx will be coming home after their game with Maryville at Maryville. Only three of the final seven regular season games will be road games for the Lynx.

Rhodes vs. Maryville, 2025

Maryville (4-1-4 overall and 1-0-0 conference) is actually at the top of the league standings in this early period of conference play this year. It’s the soccer program’s first year in the Southern Athletic Association. The Scots only loss has been in a non-conference game with Lynchburg. Its conference win was a 6-0 victory over Millsaps (2-5-0 overall, 0-1-0 conference).

Rhodes and Maryville have not played any common opponents so far this year.

This season Maryville has outscored opponents 24 to 11. It has taken 146 shots, the opponents 103. Of those shots, the Scots have been on target 68 times, the challengers 45. Maryville has taken 57 corner kicks, their opponents 26.

Maryville’s leading scorer this year is Katie Cotten who wears jersey number 16 and has put the ball in the back of the net six times. Eleven of the team’s players have scored this year.

So far this year, Rhodes has scored 23 times on 188 shots, 84 on target. Opponents have made 3 goals on 42 shots, of which 19 were on target. The Lynx have taken 73 corner kicks, opponents 16.

Rhodes leading scorer remains Freshman Ella Mullally with 7 goals. Eleven Lynx players have scored this year.

Last year, the Lynx defeated the Scots 2-1.

Results of other common opponents played last year were:

Sewanee beat Maryville 2-0. Rhodes tied Sewanee 1-1 in the 2025 regular season and defeated the Tigers in the conference tournament 1-0.
Maryville beat Berry 1-0, as did the Lynx.
The Scots beat Covenant 2-0, Rhodes defeated it 5-0.
Maryville lost to Belhaven 4-0. Rhodes bested it 2-0.
Maryville played Emory in its regular season and lost 5-0. Rhodes played Emory in the NCAA tournament and lost 2-0.

The Scots finished the 2025 season with an overall record of 9-7-1 and a conference record of 7-1. That year, the soccer team played in the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) and although they tied Asbury in regular time in the semifinal conference tournament, Asbury advanced to the championship game on winning overtime penalty kicks.

Jon Baker has coached at Maryville for 16 years but is in his second year a women’s soccer head coach. He began as assistant coach for both men and women’s soccer teams. In 2009, he was promoted to assistant head coach. His record after taking the top position at Maryville is 13-8-5 overall and in conference play 8-1-0. Baker is from Billingham in England. He moved to the United States in 1995 to attend Tennessee Wesleyan College (TWC) where he played soccer. There he was a team captain for two years and an All-Conference selection for three years. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education at TWC and after graduation was an assistant coach for both men and women’s soccer at TWC for a year before going to Maryville College as an assistant coach.

The following is a summary of Rhodes head coach McKinnon Pennell’s experience but the only change since being published here earlier is his record to reflect this week’s tie with Sewanee.
McKinnon Pennell is in his third year as Rhodes Head Women's Soccer Coach. His head coaching record, all at Rhodes, stands at 31-10-4 overall and 8-3-3 in the conference.

Pennell has taken the team to the conference championship game in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Last year, he also took the team to the Division III NCAA Championship Tournament. It was the third time in Rhodes College history the women’s soccer team had gone to the NCAA. And this time they went further than ever before. They won their first round game before losing the second match to the eventual runner up in the national championship, Emory. Pennell and his coaching staff were selected as the SAA Coaching Staff of the Year in 2025. At the end of the season last year, the Lynx ranked 35th in the nation in Division III Women’s soccer, according to the NCAA Power Index. Pennell earned his undergraduate degree in economics and played soccer at Sewanee. He has also earned his master’s degree in education from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to coming to Rhodes his collegiate coaching experience includes three years as assistant coach at Sewanee and as director of soccer operations at Old Dominion University.

Weather forecast for game time: 71% chance of showers, decreasing slightly during the game, cloudy, temperature 71, wind calm. (Forecast as of Oct 3, 2:26 p.m.)

Conference Rivals Tangle to Tie
Neither Rhodes Nor Sewanee Score

Rhodes vs. Sewanee, Oct. 2, 2026

[Updated October 3, 2026 to replace yesterday's First Impression article] - There is a television show in which a father arrives back home with his high school girl’s soccer team daughter and announces sarcastically to the rest of the family that the game was another exciting 0-0 score. Rhodes (6-1-1 overall, 0-0-1 conference) and Sewanee (4-1-3 overall, 0-0-1 conference) played to a nil - nil game today. This viewer will not say sarcastically that it was another exciting 0-0 score because it did seem to be a tension filled contest. As of this writing, the game has been over for 20 minutes or so, but this writer’s teeth are still clinched.

For a moment, let’s consider the most important thing about these games. That is the health and well being of everyone involved. In this game against Sewanee, with about seven minutes left in the first half, Freshman Claire Lyons, who hails from Saint Paul, Minnesota, was involved in a collision and injured. She was helped off the field and appeared to remain on the sideline training table for the rest of the game.

As reported in our recap of the DePauw game 13 days ago another Rhodes player was injured, although this writer was unsure from the video who it was. The coaching staff has now confirmed for this publication it was Junior Jane Volf from Houston, Texas. She has not returned to the field of play since.

It is wished both women will have a full and speedy recovery.

The temperatures had moderated to about 80 degrees as autumn takes hold but the field at Sewanee had received a rain shower a little before game time, so it was humid. The field there is artificial turf so it appeared to remain in good condition.

Both teams had some opportunities to score in today’s match, especially Rhodes. The Lynx had 12 shots, six considered on target, but each of those were saved by the Tigers goalkeeper. Sewanee was credited with eleven shots, two of which were on target.

Since this turned out to be a defensive game, that's where we return for a highlight. In the 68th minute of the match, Sewanee had a corner kick from its right side. As the ball came down in front of the right post, Rhodes’ goalkeeper Junior Lauren Hollis jumped and tipped the ball but was unable to control it as it was still a bit too high for her. That put her out of position as the ball continued across the face of the goal. Fortunately for the Lynx, no Tiger was able to get a touch on the ball before it passed the net. Senior Captain Kat Stanley then was able to kick the ball away from the immediate threat. That gave Sewanee another corner kick, this time from its left side. Delivered to the far side of the goal some three yards beyond the 6 yard box a Sewanee player headed the ball high dropping toward the goal. Hollis dives and makes a one handed block for a save. The audio will remain but please know that the announcer misidentifies the Rhodes' goalkeeper. This is Junior Lauren Hollis in goal for Rhodes. Watch.

So, like last year's regular season game between Rhodes and Sewanee, it ends in a draw. Both teams get a single point in the calculation for the league standings. (A team that wins gets three points in that calculation.) This is the first week of conference competition. It's early and as we have said about the NCAA Power Index, it's too early to put a lot of weight into these numbers. Nevertheless, here are the Southern Athletic Association women's soccer standings after Friday's games:

SCHOOL	PTS.	SAA	CPCT.	Overall	PCT.	HOME	AWAY	NEUTRAL	STREAK
Maryville	3	1-0	1	4-1-4	0.667	3-0-1	1-0-3	0-1	W1
Centre	3	1-0	1	5-2-3	0.65	2-1-2	3-1-1	0-0	W2
Berry	3	1-1	0.5	6-4	0.6	5-2	1-2	0-0	L1
Rhodes	1	0-0-1	0.5	6-1-1	0.812	3-0	2-1-1	1-0	T1
Sewanee	1	0-0-1	0.5	4-1-3	0.688	1-0-1	2-1-1	1-0-1	T1
Trinity	0	0-0	0	8-0	1	4-0	3-0	1-0	W8
Southwestern	0	0-0	0	5-2-2	0.667	4-0-1	1-1-1	0-1	W2
Oglethorpe	0	0-1	0	3-3-1	0.5	1-2-1	2-1	0-0	L2
Millsaps	0	0-1	0	2-5	0.286	1-4	1-1	0-0	L3

As this writer understands it, the league will first look at the points as it determines which teams will make it to the conference tournament and their seeding. If there are ties, then other factors will be applied. Not being a soccer guru, I had to look up the meaning of CPCT, which stands for Conference Percentage.

While no SAA team made the United Soccer Coaches Poll Top 25 through September 29, Trinity did get some votes in that poll.

As we take a look at rankings, which largely are irrelevant as they currently stand because it's so early in the conference schedules, we might as well look at the NCAA Power Index (NPI). This becomes more relevant, as do the conference standings as the season progresses. There are likely to be dramatic changes in the rankings as additional games are played. Through October 1 here is where the higher ranking SAA teams stand in the NPI. Berry (6-3-0) is #8, Trinity (8-0-0) is 12, and Rhodes is 55.

Let's look at the numbers for the Sewanee game:

Rhodes took 12 shots, 6 of which were on target, Swanee took eleven. Only two on target;
The Lynx made two saves,. the Tigers. 6;
Rhodes had five corner kicks, Sewanee had eleven.
There were no ejections (red card) and no cautions (yellow card) issued during the game.

There were two injuries to note during the game. As mentioned, Freshman Clare Lyons was helped off the field late in the first half and did not return to action.
Late in the second half, Freshman Audrey Rush got an elbow or arm to the face and had to leave the game, but she was able to return to play a few minutes later.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Conference Play Ahead

Preview: Rhodes vs. Sewanee

September 29, 2026 - Conference competition for Rhodes begins Friday. That’s particularly important because conference records are the primary criteria from which the Southern Athletic Association uses to invite teams to the conference tournament at the end of the regular season. There are nine institutions in the conference but only six will be invited to the tournament. Furthermore, the winner of the tournament gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament.

The conference schedule opens with Berry and Oglethorpe playing tomorrow, September 30th. The next league games are on Friday, with a couple of games starting at 4:00 PM Central Time and Rhodes beginning its game at 5:00 PM Central Time.

Rhodes vs. Sewanee logos

Friday’s game pits Rhodes (6-1-0) against rival Sewanee (4-1-2) in Monteagle, Tennessee. The Tigers are characterized as a rival because they beat Rhodes in the SAA Championship tournament in 2023 and 2024. Last year, the Lynx defeated Sewanee in the tournament’s semifinal game 1-0. Sewanee is also an interesting competitor because Rhodes head coach McKinnon Pennell played soccer for the Tigers for four years, graduating from Sewanee and then coming back as an assistant coach later.

Accessible records of the match between Sewanee and Rhodes go back to the year 2000. The Lynx have won 16 of the contests and the Tigers have won 15. There have been three ties. In the past 10 matches, however, Sewanee has won six times, Rhodes has won twice and there have been two ties.

As mentioned, Rhodes and Sewanee played twice last year. In the regular season, the game ended in a 1-1 draw and in the SAA tournament Rhodes won 1-0.

Sewanee lost to Brevard today 1-0.

Ella Mullally in action

The Tiger's leading scorer is Pope Scurlock (jersey #19) with 4 goals. Eight Sewanee players have scored this year. Stella Martin has an impressive 5 assists along with 2 goals. The team has made a total of 15 goals compared to its opponents 5. Sixty-five of its 144 shots have been on target.

Rhodes top goal maker is Freshman Ella Mullally (jersey #17) with 7. Eleven Lynx have scored this season. It has a total of 23 goals whereas challengers have three. Of its 176 shots 31 have been on target.

The teams have played no common opponents so far this year.

Last year, of course, the teams both played full slates of conference teams as well as a few non-conference common opponents:

Both teams won 2-0 over Maryville;
Rhodes defeated Covenant 5-0 and Sewanee beat Covenant 3-0;
The Tigers played number two ranked Emery in the regular season and lost 1-0, whereas the Lynx played Emory in the second round of the NCAA Championship Tournament and lost 2-0;
Rhodes bested Millsaps 3-0, Sewanee took its game 5-0;
Rhodes lost to Southwestern 1-0, the Tigers beat them 2-1 In the regular season and 2-0 in the SAA tournament;
Trinity and Sewanee tied 1-1, Rhodes played Trinity twice, in the regular season the Lynx lost 1-0 and in the SAA tournament lost 3-0;
Both teams defeated Belhaven 2-0;
Rhodes defeated Oglethorpe 2-1, Sewanee beat them 2-0;
Sewanee tied Berry 1-1, the Lynx defeated Barry 1-0;
Rhodes beat Center College 1-0 and Sewanee lost by the same score.
In the first match of the NCAA Championship Tournament in 2025 Rhodes conquered Brevard 2-1, Sewaenee fell to Brevard today 1-0.

Sewanee record last year was. 10-3-4 overall and 3-1-3 In conference play. Rhodes accumulated a 13-5-2 record overall and 4-2-1 in SAA games.

In the preseason poll of Southern Athletic Association coaches, Sewanee was ranked number two and Rhodes number three.

The SAA Conference rankings are relatively unimportant at this moment. Since, no conference games have been played. But based on the non conference schedule it would appear Trinity leads with eight wins and no losses and Rhodes follows up in the number two position with six wins and one loss. Interestingly, the official SAA standings do not show the one loss of Rhodes to Washington University.

The NCAA Power Index currently ranks Rhodes number 41 in Division Three Women’s soccer and Sewanee 120. Still, however, as has been mentioned repeatedly, it’s still too early to put too much credence in the NPI. That ranking becomes very important towards the end of the season and after the regular season ends as it plays the major part in which teams get invited to the at-large positions in the NCAA Championship Tournament. Greg Cathell, Sewanee Coach

Sewanee’s Greg Cathell is in his 7th season as head coach of the Tigers women’s soccer team. He previously was head coach at Centenary College of Louisiana and before that at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, both NCAA Division III teams as are Sewanee and Rhodes. His head coaching career record is 114-50-30 overall and in conference play 43-29-9. Named SAA Coach of the Year three times and won the SAA conference championship three times, he led his team to the SAA tournament three other times and took them to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament in 2023 and the first round in 2024. Cathell played Division I athletics for four years at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore and was named All-Conference in 2003 and to the All-Tournament Team in 2006. He is a 2 McKinnon Pennell, Rhodes Coach, Sewanee Alumnus

McKinnon Pennell, Rhodes Coach, Sewanee Alumnus

009 graduate of UM-Eastern Shore earning a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education.

McKinnon Pennell is in his third year as Rhodes Head Women's Soccer Coach. His head coaching record, all at Rhodes, stands at 31-10-3 overall and 8-3-2 in the conference. He’s taken the team to the conference championship game in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Last year, he also took the team to the Division III NCAA Championship Tournament. It was the third time in Rhodes College history the women’s soccer team had gone to the NCAA. And this time they went further than ever before. They won their first round game before losing the second match to the eventual runner up in the national championship, Emory. Pennell and his coaching staff were selected as the SAA Coaching Staff of the Year in 2025. At the end of the season last year, the Lynx ranked 35th in the nation in Division III Women’s soccer, according to the NCAA Power Index. Pennell earned his undergraduate degree in economics and played soccer at Sewanee. He has also earned his master’s degree in education from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to coming to Rhodes his collegiate coaching experience includes three years as assistant coach at Sewanee and as director of soccer operations at Old Dominion University.

Early weather forecast for game time at Sewanee:

a 50% chance of thunderstorms, mostly cloudy, temperature 79, heat index 81, wind northwest 3 mph. (forecast as of 10:50 pm CDT Sep 30)

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Schedule Change: No Game Tomorrow

Match with Covenant Rescheduled to October

September 22, 2026 - It was announced today that the Rhodes women’s soccer match with Covenant College has been rescheduled. It is now planned for October 14th at 3:00 PM CT at Covenant in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. It had been scheduled for tomorrow.

This means the next game is with Sewanee on October 2, which opens the conference play

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Ella Mullally Conference Offensive Player of the Week

Rhodes Players Make Player of the Week Every Week So Far

September 22, 2026 - Freshman Ella Mullally was named the Southern Athletic Association’s Offensive Player of the Week yesterday. The Player of the Week awards are based on the previous week’s performance.

This was week three of the NCAA Division III soccer season and Rhodes has placed a woman on the Conference’s Player of the Week each time. For the first week, Freshman Hadley Carrington was the SAA as Player of the Week for offense. In the second week, the SAA Defensive Player of the Week was Senior Annie Cimino. Mullally keeps the spotlight on Rhodes with her selection.

Here’s the SAA as description of Mullally‘s play last week:

“Ella Mullally | Rhodes | FR | Decatur, GA – Mullally delivered a standout offensive week for Rhodes, scoring three goals, including two game-winners. The freshman provided the decisive goal in two of the Lynx’s victories, coming through in key moments for the Rhodes attack. Mullally’s three-goal performance highlighted a productive week for the Lynx offense.”

Congratulations, Ella Mullally!

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Number One Team Tops Rhodes

Unbeaten & Shutout Streak Ends Against WashU

September 21, 2026 [This is updated from the "First impression" report published yesterday.] - It was good to see players waving and smiling at family and friends in the bleachers after their first loss of the season.

If you're going to come up short in a game, a non-conference game against the two-time national defending champions and currently ranked #1 team would be the time to do it. Rhodes is not alone. WashU has won its last 56 games. If you are wondering how far back that goes, its “most recent” loss was in the NCAA Division III Championship game in 2023.

Hopes were high but everyone knew this would be a very tough hill to climb. And it was as the Washington University Tigers (7-0-0) defeated Rhodes (6-1-0) 3-0 in Sunday’s final of the WashU weekend tournament.

While the Tigers did not dominate Rhodes as much as Rhodes dominated a few teams earlier in the season, they still dominated. Much of the game was played in the Lynx defensive half. The Lynx improved their penetration into WashU’s defensive portion of the pitch more in the second half but still not all that often or not for that long. Rhodes only took two shots in the game, none of them were on target. The Tigers took 19 shots, with nine of them on target.

Certainly there were some good plays by Rhodes, primarily on defense. Most, maybe all, of the highlights, however, belong to WashU in both the offensive and defensive efforts. Here’s Rhodes goalkeeper Sophomore Gabi Garza keeping the opponents score from getting any higher, one of the 6 saves made by the Lynx goalkeepers. Watch.

Washington University captured its seventh win of the season and 7th shutout, remaining unbeaten and unscored upon. Rhodes six game win streak ends, as does its 6 game consecutive shutouts.

WashU’s first goal came after a Lynx pass was intercepted near the halfway line. A couple of passes later including a nice give and go to two-time United Soccer Coaches’ National Player of the Year Olivia Clemons as she was streaking down the center of the pitch between two Rhodes' defenders who were several yards on either side of her. After a couple of unchallenged touches she fired a shot from 12 yards out past the Lynx goalie and into the lower right portion of the net. Score WashU 1, Rhodes 0.

That’s how the first half ended. Even though it was the first goal conceded by Rhodes this season it was a fair first half for the Lynx to stay within striking distance of the national champs.

The Tigers’ second goal came in the 53rd minute of the match when they earned a free kick from 28 yards straight out from the goal. Sophie Viscovich delivered a bomb on the free kick directly into the upper left of the net. Score WashU 2, Rhodes 0.

The final goal of the came 67:17 into the match. WashU made a long pass to a teammate toward the right side of its attacking third. The Rhodes' goalkeeper came way off her line in an attempt to stop the play but wasn’t able to have any success. A crossing pass to a Tiger player in the middle of the field left only one Rhodes’ field player between her and the goal. The Rhodes' defender wasn't able to get to the shot and could only watch as it was well placed into the lower right of the net by Emily Fox. Score 3-0, and that was the winning tally for WashU.

Coach Pennell and his assistants had a considerably long talk with the team on the field after the game. Presumably he talked about what was learned from playing the top team in the nation and expectations of a good season continuing hereafter.

Given WashU’s record, it is quite possible, perhaps even likely, it will be in the NCAA Division III Championship game in November. Anything can happen, of course, especially in soccer. It sure would be nice, however, for Rhodes to seek payback against the Tigers in that game!

Let’s look at the numbers:
Rhodes took 2 shots, none on target, WashU had 19, of which 9 were on target.
Rhodes had 6 saves, WashU needed and took none.
The Lynx executed 3 corner kicks, the Tigers 4.
Rhodes was called for 11 fouls, WashU for 10.
There were no red or yellow cards issued in this game.

There did not appear to be any significant injuries during the game. A WashU player was injured and left the field but returned to continue playing a short time later.

As an avid spectator of the Rhodes College Women's Soccer Team, this writer had a momentary disappointment that the Lynx were not able to topple the Tigers. Then it was remembered that this is not a job for the players. Their job is to excel in the education offered by Rhodes while enjoying the game that makes them happy.

There is a movie (The Rookie) based on a real life situation in which the oldest rookie in baseball was playing for a minor league team. Part way through the season he was ready to give up and go home. But after talking to his wife and watching a Little League game, his attitude changed. In the locker room, preparing for the next baseball game, the player walked up to one of his teammate buddies and said, “guess what we get to do today?” The player he was talking to looked puzzled. Then the oldest rookie said, “we get to play baseball.” Both broke out in big smiles.

You ladies get to play soccer. Win, lose or draw, I hope that continues to bring big smiles to your faces.

By the way, that baseball rookie, Jim Morris, was called up to the major leagues near the end of that same season.

So, likewise, your success in the rest of the season and academically in the months and years to come is much anticipated.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Preview: Rhodes vs. #1 Team

Will Play Washington University Sunday

September 19, 2026 - Not everybody gets to play the number one team in the nation. In all likelihood, not everybody wants to.

That’s not the case for the Rhodes Lynx College Women’s soccer team and its coach, McKinnon Pennell.

They get their wish Sunday, having defeated DePauw 1-0 today with a score in the 83rd minute of the match.

The two time defending national NCAA Division III women’s soccer champion and currently ranked number one team, the Washington University (6-0-0) Bears, welcomes Rhodes (6-0-0) to their pitch in Saint Louis, Missouri, Sunday at 1:30 PM Central Daylight Time.

Rhodes Coach McKinnon Pennell acknowledges the talent WashU has but has confidence in the Lynx. Listen.

The teams played one common opponent this year. WashU defeated Westminster 11-0. Rhodes got a 2-0 win.

Both teams participated in a four team, two day weekend event at Rhodes College last year. WashU got the victory 3-0 over Rhodes.

In 2025, in a game with Centre, WashU won 5-1, Rhodes won 1-0.

Last year they did play a common opponent during the NCAA Championship Tournament. The Lynx lost to Emory in the second round game 2-0. WashU and Emory met in the title game which Washington won 2-1. In addition, WashU played Emory during the regular season last year was the winner by the same 2-1 score.

WashU is currently ranked number one in Division III women’s soccer by both the United Soccer Coaches and the NCAA Power Index.

The coach’s poll only lists the top 25 teams in their survey. Rhodes is not included. The NPI ranks the Lynx as number 9 in the nation. As we repeatedly warn readers, the NPI isn’t necessarily very reflective of a team’s strength at this point in the season. As the season progresses the NPI becomes more relevant.

Given, however, that WashU has won the national title two years in a row, was runner up three years ago and they have a 6-0 record thus far this year, its number one ranking may be well deserved.

Here are the WashU’s opponents and their record thus far this year, and what the score was in Washington’s victory over them in the games so far this year:
Greenville (0-6-0)                        14-0
Westminster (MO) (0-4-0)         11-0
Simpson (3-2-1)                          7-0
Rose-Hulman    (3-1-0)                2-0
Elmhurst Elmhurst (5-1-0)              4-0
UC Santa Cruz UC Santa Cruz (6-0-0)    4-0

Washington has scored 42 goals this year its opponents none. Rhodes has scored 23 and its challengers none.

The Bears put 5 Women on the NCAA tournaments, all tournament team last year, Including. Junior Olivia Clemmons. Clemmons was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player for the second-straight year. United Soccer Coaches recognized her as its National Player of the Year for 2025. The UAA conference picked her as its Offensive Player of the Year.

Despite all those accolades, Clemens is not the highest scorer so far this year for the Bears. She has four goals. Two other WashU players have more and two others have the same number as Clemens.

WashU is directed by Head Coach Jim Conlon. He has 26 years as a head coach, 19 of them for the Bears. He’s taken the team to all but one of the NCAA tournaments during his tenure with WashU. His overall record as a head coach is 405-102-43 and at WashU 285-44-36. He is a 1998 graduate of Loras College with a B.A. degree in business and sports management, where he played soccer for 4 years.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Rhodes Edges DePauw

Advances To Play #1 WashU at its Tournament

battle for the ball, Rhodes vs. DePauw, 2026

Update: October 2, 2026 - to identify the injured Rhodes player was Junior Jane Volf.
September 19, 2026 - [September 21, 2026: updated to tentatively identify a Rhodes goalkeeper's save] -It was mostly a game of defense today as the Rhodes Lynx (6-0-0) fought the DePauw Tigers (4-3-0). The game remained tied through 82 minutes. In the 83rd, the Lynx got their chance.

A foul was called on the Tigers center field only a yard or so outside of the penalty box. That was perhaps a generous call by the referee as the initial contact with Junior Maddie Carter was either at or just inside the 18 yard penalty area line. The official chose to spot the foul where Carter landed, not where the causal contact occurred. Nevertheless, it was a Rhodes’ leading scorer this year who took the free kick and added to her total goals. Ella Mullally sent a booming kick into the left upper corner of the net to give Rhodes the 1-0 victory. Watch.

With about 7 ½ minutes remaining in the match, there was drama to come but it didn’t come until the very end. With less than 20 seconds left, DePauw got a corner kick. The statistics indicate that was taken with 8 seconds until the final whistle. It was played into the box about 12 yards out, where it goes into a mass of black and white jerseys. It comes out on the ground headed for the goal. The Rhodes goalkeeper dives and covers the ball, preserving the victory! The statistics give the save to Junior Lauren Hollis. The streaming video announcer gives it to Sophomore Gabi Garza. This writer chooses not to decide based on the quality of the video. At some point who made the play will be sufficiently identified and this article will be updated. It is believed the statistics are correct and this is Hollis making the save, although confirmation is still pending. Watch.

The win gives Rhodes the opportunity to play the number one team in the country and the two time defending NCAA Division III champions, Washington University (6-0-0) tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. CDT.

Playing the top team in the nation at this level is tough enough anytime, but after playing today’s game in mid 90-degree weather and a heat advisory, rest and recovery will add to the challenge.

In about the 69th minute, a Rhodes player, Junior Jane Volf, was injured and was helped off the field. [This game in particular did not seem to have highly reliable statistics in a few instances The announcer identified the player but the statistics do not indicate that player being substituted for anywhere near that time.] It is hoped Ms. Volf will heal quickly.

Here are the numbers from the statistics:
Rhodes took 17 shots, 7 of which were on target. DePauw took 3 with two on target.
Rhodes made 2 saves, DePauw 6.
The Lynx six corner kicks, the Tigers one.
Rhodes was called for 13 fouls, DePauw 8.
There were no cards issued during the game.

Weather forecast for Sunday's game time: mostly sunny, 8% chance of showers increasing to 20% by 4 p.m., temperature 91, heat index 95, wind west 5 mph. (forecast as of 4:26 p.m. September 19)

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Preview: Rhodes vs. DePauw
Tournament Format Could Lead to Match with #1 Team

September 17, 2026 - One might think that the number 7 ranked team in the nation would easily win a game against the team ranked 119. It might not be as easy as that would indicate!

The September 16 NCAA Power Index (NPI) rankings have Rhodes ranked number seven and DePauw University ranked 119 in Division III women's soccer. Rhodes fans can hope it’s an easy victory, or at least a victory. Rhodes Women’s Soccer Head Coach McKinnon Pennell says the Lynx should be ready for a battle. Listen.

It’s still too early in the season to put much credence in the NPI.

The Depauw Tigers (4-2-0) meet the Rhodes Lynx (5-0-0) Saturday at Washington University Soccer Field in St Louis, Missouri. The two teams have met 10 times in the past 19 years. Rhodes has won half of those games, lost three and tied two. In the past three years, DePauw has won two of the games but last year Rhodes came out on top 3-0. Other than this weekend’s tournament format games, the teams do not play any common opponents during the regular season this year. The teams are in different conferences, Rhodes is a member of the Southern Athletic Association and DePauw is in the North Coast Athletic conference.

Last year’s Tigers’ record was 10-7-1 overall and 4-3 in its conference.

Rhodes has won all its games this year. DePauw’s losses were against North Park (2-3-1) and Capital (3-1-0). North Park beat the Tigers 2-1, but the Capital game wasn't close as it defeated DePauw 4-0.

Cristin Allen is In her 8th year as coach of DePauw. Before that, she served two years as head coach at Franklin College. Her overall record as a head coach is 84-53-19. She played at NCAA Division I Belmont University where she was team captain her senior year and received All-Atlantic Sun conference first team honors. Allen was inducted into Belmont's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014. She was graduated from Belmont in 2002 with a degree in English.

This weekend’s games are in a tournament type format. Saturday’s games feature DePauw vs. Rhodes College and Washington University against UC Santa Cruz. The winners of the Saturday’s games face each other on Sunday. The teams that come up short on Saturday play each other the next day. Commonly known as WashU, Washington University of St Louis is the defending NCAA Division III national champions. Not only did they win the championship in 2025, they also won it in 2024 and were runner up in 2023. WashU is currently ranked number one in the NPI and number one in the United Soccer Coaches poll.

This publication will hope to preview the Sunday Rhodes game when the opponent is determined.

Weather forecast for weekend games: game time Saturday Sept. 19: heat advisory in effect, mostly sunny, temperature 93, heat index 97, wind west 7 mph.
For the Sunday, Sept. 20 game, for a 1:30 pm game time, partly sunny, temperature 90, heat index 95, wind west 5 mph. (Forecast as of 8 a.m. Sept. 19)

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Five Fine Finishes
Five Wins, Five Clean Sheets

Sept

Audrey Rush got her first goal of the year vs. Belhaven, 2026

ember 16, 2026 - It was another good win for the Rhodes College Women's soccer team (5-0-0) as they defeated Belhaven University (1-2-1) 3-0 at the Lynx Soccer Field Tuesday.

Coach McKinnon Pennell says he told the team he is proud of how they have played these first five games. Listen.

All three goals in today's game came in the first half.

The scoring began 21:45 into the match when Freshman Ella Mullally put the ball in the back of the net. The goal was assisted by Junior Maddie Carter. It came after Belhaven had a throw in which was immediately controlled by Rhodes. The ball is passed to the center of the pitch and two Rhodes players attack the goal. Mullally fires shot from perhaps 18 yards out over the Blazers keeper and into the upper portion of the net. It is the winning goal. Score is 1-0. Watch.

It might be noted that the two Rhodes players and defenders were so bunched together the public address announcer and the play-by-play streaming announcer said the goal was made by Carter. Further evaluation, however, gave the goal to Mullally and the assist to Carter.

As we've noted before, Lynx women like to score goals. And if one does so, there's no reason not to do it again. So just over 6 minutes later Freshman Ella Mullally scores again. This time the assist goes to Sophomore Kyleigh Wilson. Mullally is Rhodes' leading scorer this season with six total goals. In this play, Wilson is near the left touchline. She delivers a beautiful cross to the center of the field where Mullally controls the ball and while it is still bouncing delivers the scoring kick from perhaps 12 yards out. Controlling the ball appropriately when it’s in the air like that is considered difficult. Mullally did it perfectly. Lynx 2, Blazers 0. Watch.

At 38:15 Freshman Audrey Rush gets her first goal of the year to complete the game's scoring. Senior Kat Stanley assists. It was a corner kick from Rhodes right side that led to this score. Stanley appears to be one of the better athletes this writer has seen in delivering corner kicks into a great position in front of the net. No exception this time. Rush receives the ball at her feet, perhaps 20 yards out, and scores. Rhodes 3, Belhaven 0. Watch.

Lynx goalkeeper Junior Lauren Hollis got a save in the first half to preserve the fifth clean sheet of the season. The goalkeepers have not been particularly busy so far this year as the field players have put up a strong defense. According to Coach Pennell, Hollis and Sophomore Gabi Garza may have some work to do this weekend as Rhodes takes on some very competitive teams. More on that in a preview article later in the week.

As has been written here before, defensive plays in the field are often difficult to capture. Therefore, the coverage of the defenders and midfielders often is, regrettably limited. Goals and saves are typically isolated to a certain area and easier to capture. Defensive plays are quite important, obviously. Here we have an example of an impressive tackle and steal. Belhaven is bringing the ball up the left sideline. Senior Mallory Goldstein has approached one of the Belhaven players who has the ball a little more toward the center of the pitch but when that Blazer passes off Goldstein begins to retreat to cover another player. The pass goes to that second player along the touch line. Goldstein is actually a little behind and to the side of the player with the ball but catches up, executes an excellent tackle, recovers her balance and steals the ball. Impressive! A good example of the defense the Lynx bring to the game. Watch.

(You may notice a momentary glitch as Goldstein makes the tackle. Unfortunately, much of the video has such a momentary freeze every few seconds. That’s when it’s working better. There are periods in which there is no video or audio and a technical difficulty slide appears. Given viewers may be paying upwards of $30 a month for these streaming video feeds now, it’s an unhappy situation.)
Savvy Palmer vs. Belhaven, 2026

Statistics indicate 27 players for the Rhodes Lynx got into the game, which probably is all that were dressed out.

It did not appear there were any injuries in the match.

It is still a little early for the NCAA Power Index to have a lot of meaning. That said, Rhodes moves up to number four in the nation in the NPI ranking of Division III teams. SAA member Berry is ranked number two. Perhaps Berry's ranking should not be as surprising as it was. Berry played the 2025 national runner up team Emory University earlier today and lost by a score of only 1-0. Trinity, another conference team, slips down to eighth position in the NPI, even though they have yet to lose a game. Rhodes plays Berry and Trinity later in the season.

Let’s take a look at the numbers.
Rhodes took 28 shots, 15 of which were on target. Belhaven took one shot and it was on target.
Belhaven made 12 saves, Rhodes one.
The Lynx got 10 corner kicks while the Blazers didn’t have any.
Each team got called for five fouls.
There was one yellow card issued in the game against a Belhaven player.

Early weather forecast for weekend games: game time Saturday Sept. 19: heat advisory in effect, mostly sunny, temperature 96, heat index 98, wind southwest 8 mph.
For the Sunday, Sept. 20 game, for a 1:30 pm game time, partly cloudy, 10% chance of showers, temperature 89, heat index 93, wind west 7 mph. (Forecast as of 10:00 a.m. Sept. 17)

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Annie Cimino Named SAA Defensive Player of the Week
Lynx Face 2025 NCSC Conference Champions

September 14, 2026 - For the second week in a row, a Rhodes player was honored with the Southern Athletic Association Conference Player of the Week award. Last week it was for offensive play, this week for defensive play. Senior Annie Cimino takes the honors for her resistance against the attack of the opponents.

"Annie Cimino | Rhodes | SR | Charleston, WV – Cimino helped Rhodes post back-to-back shutouts during a 2-0 week, as the Lynx outscored their opponents 12-0 and improved to 4-0 on the season. She contributed on both ends of the field in a 9-0 victory over MUW, recording one goal and one assist in just 33 minutes of action. Cimino assisted on Rhodes’ third goal before finding the back of the net herself just over three minutes later. She followed with 60 minutes in a 3-0 road shutout of Hendrix, helping limit the Warriors to just four total shots and two shots on goal while holding Hendrix without a single shot in the second half. Across the two wins, Cimino contributed three points on one goal and one assist while helping the Rhodes defense surrender zero goals and just four total shots."

Congratulations Annie Cimino!

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Preview: Rhodes vs. Belhaven
Lynx Face 2025 NCSC Conference Champions

September 13, 2026 - [Updated September 14, 2026 to show latest NPI ranking for Belhaven and a couple of other SAA teams.]
First, let’s note the change in the time the game starts. Earlier schedules and on the pocket sized handout the game was listed as a 3:30 contest. It is now scheduled to start at 4:30 Tuesday, September 15.

While it’s great if you get there early, be prepared if you do. The temperature that afternoon is forecast to be near 100 degrees with a heat index of 107, sunny skies. Another hot day.

Rhodes vs. Belhaven, 2025

The Belhaven University Blazers (1-1-1) come up from Jackson, Mississippi, to play at Rhodes College (4-0-0) Soccer Field on Tuesday.

Belhaven is the defending Collegiate Conference of the South champions and was selected in the preseason coaches poll as number one in that conference. Their 2025 record was 14-5-3 overall and in the conference 6-1-1. Fifteen student-athletes are returnees from last year’s team.

The NCAA Power Index does not mean a lot at this point in the season. That’s because not too many games have been played and many teams play stronger opponents later in the season. But the NPI does purport to rate teams based on multiple factors, including the strength of their opponents. So with a great hesitation, we’re going to write about the NPI for a moment. That may be because we like the number assigned to Rhodes! But really we just are looking for an indication of the strength of Belhaven. The NPI, as of the last publication on September 10, ranked Belhaven 219 in Division III women's soccer. It ranked Rhodes College 10. Remember, it really is important to realize that the rankings at this point are not such that they can give a good indication of the strengths of the teams. Update: As of September 13, Belhaven has fallen to 284 on the NPI rankings. Rhodes remains at number 10, tied with three other teams.

Since now we have delved a little bit into the NPI. I guess we should note that there are two other Southern Athletic Association teams in the top 10 of the NCAA rankings. Surprisingly, Berry (4-0-0) is ranked number two. Not as surprising, Trinity (4-0-0), also in the SAA, is ranked number 6. Rhodes plays both later in the season. It will be seen in particular how that Berry ranking holds up because they play preseason United Soccer Coaches national rankings #2 Emory University (3-0-1) on Wednesday. The NPI ranks Emory #105 currently. No SAA team is ranked in the top 25 of the preseason United Soccer Coaches poll. One must contemplate that the NPI is giving way too much weight to the early season matches. Time will tell.

Belhaven has played one common opponent this year. In a game with Hendrix, it played to a scoreless draw. Rhodes played Hendrix Friday, of course, and won 3-0.

In 2025, Rhodes defeated Belhaven 2-0.

Last year, the teams played a lot of common opponents.
The Blazers played Southwestern and lost 1-0. The Lynx lost to Southwestern by the same score.
Belhaven played Covenant College and lost 4-0, whereas Rhodes played Covenant and won 5-0.
Both teams bested Maryville last year, Rhodes by a score of 2-1 and Belhaven by 4-0.
It was a 3-0 win for both teams against Millsaps last year.
The 2025 contest against Sewanee saw Belhaven losing 2-0. Rhodes played Sewanee two times last year. In the regular season it tied 1-1 and in the SAA Championship Tournament the Lynx defeated Sewanee 1-0.
As mentioned earlier, both teams played Hendrix College this year. Last year, they did, too. Belhaven beat the Warriors 3-0 and Rhodes came out on top 2-1.
As winner of the 2025 Collegiate Conference of the South Championship, Belhaven was invited to play in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. It lost in its first round game to nationally ranked #2 Emory University by a score of 6-0. Rhodes also played in the NCAA tournament and played Emory in the second round game, losing 2-0. Emory went on to solidify its number two ranking by being runner up in the national championship game.

Continuing with last year’s record, Belhaven outscored its opponents 64-21. They took 317 shots whereas its challengers took 155. The Blazers earned 126 corner kicks, the opponent’s 70. Belhaven made four of their five penalty kicks last year.

The Blazers are led by Kimberly Harrell who is in her 9th year as head coach there. Her record as head coach at the college level, all of which has been at Belhaven, is 76-56-16. In her collegiate days, she played at Jones College, where she was the second leading scorer. She is a graduate of Mississippi State University and has advanced degrees from Mississippi College and Belhaven University.

Weather forecast for game time is for mostly sunny skies, a temperature of 96 degrees, heat index 105, heat advisory in effect, wind south southwest at 6 mph, decreasing to 5 mph and varying from the south and south southeast during the game. (Weather updated 9:00 a.m. September 15.)

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Update: September 10, 2026 - the original scheduled start time for the September 15 Belhaven game was listed by Rhodes as 3:30 p.m. It has been changed to 4:30 p.m. Earlier listings of the schedule on this site and on the pocket size schedule handout showed the original time. Please be aware of the change.

[Editor's note: much of these articles is now being dictated to a computer and software transcribed due to the author's carpal tunnel syndrome. This process results in grammatical and other errors, some of which slip through proofreading. Any such errors are regretted. Readers are always encouraged to notify the author of any errors of fact or grammar.]

More Competition but Still Comfortable Win for Rhodes
Rhodes Gets Fourth Victory

Sep

Mallory Goldstein gets pass by Hendrix defender

tember 12, 2026 - Despite the 3-0 victory over Hendrix tonight, this seemed to perhaps be the most competitive game Rhodes has had so far this year, Although Westminster did put up an entertaining fight before losing 2-0, Hendrix play was a bit of a surprise given the statistics from their previous three games which were not very impressive. Still, it was a decisive victory for Rhodes. As coaches often will say, statistics do not tell the whole story.

The first half ended without either team having scored. While the final score probably reflected the ability of the teams, the run of play was very tense, at least for this viewer.

Freshman Ella Mullally got the first goal. Rhodes was putting pressure on the net. Freshman Hadley Carrington either took a shot or put a cross in front of the goal which was blocked by a Warrior but that block went right to the feet of Mullally, who from about 10 yards out, scored. Watch.

The second score by Rhodes was on a penalty kick. Junior Maddie Carter was fouled just inside the 18 yard box and she took the penalty kick. She put the ball low into the left corner of the goal to give the Lynx a cushion. With about 14 ½ minutes left in the match, the score is Rhodes 2, Hendrix 0.

With just over 11 minutes remaining in the game Freshman Savvy Palmer demonstrated some good footwork to get the ball around a defender for a great pass down the center from about 25 yards out to Freshman Hadley Carrington. Carrington is able to maneuver the ball past the on rushing goalie and another Hendrix defender who is coming in from the side to successfully shoot it for another goal. It’s icing on the cake. Rhodes 3, Hendrix 0. And that was the final score of the game. Watch.

Unlike the match earlier this week, the Rhodes goalies both Junior Lauren Hollis and Sophomore Gabi Garza got a little exercise. There was plenty of activity in Rhodes’ defensive half of the pitch. Hollis got the two Rhodes saves in the game, both coming in the first half. Although Hendrix did penetrate into Rhodes' defensive half and defensive 3rd, the back line and midfielders still kept the ball away from the goal for the most part. Watch.

Let’s look at the numbers.

Rhodes took 30 shots, 12 on target. The Warriors took four, of which two were on target.
Rhodes had two saves, Hendrix 9.
Rhodes had 15 corner kicks. Hendrix had none.
Lynx were cited for four fouls, the Warriors for 8.
There were no cards issued.

Hendrix's Rosalie Allen went out with an injury after heading the ball in the 2nd half but came back in to play later in the game. Other than that there were no apparent injuries noticed in the video feed (the video feed had multiple interruptions).

Those statistics look like Rhodes dominated. Perhaps they did. The outcome, however, did not seem to be apparent until late in the game.

Twenty-six of the 31 Rhodes players on the roster got into the game. That number has been consistent for the past three games and it is our understanding that that is the number that have been dressed out for each game.

Early forecast for the September 15 game with Belhaven at the Rhodes Soccer Field is for a temperature of 100 degrees, heat index 106, and winds south at seven mph. (Forecast as of 3:35 p.m. September 12)
Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Update: September 10, 2026 - the original scheduled start time for the September 15 Belhaven game was listed by Rhodes as 3:30 p.m. It has been changed to 4:30 p.m. Earlier listings of the schedule on this site and on the pocket size schedule handout showed the original time. Please be aware of the change.

Preview: Rhodes Plays Winless Hendrix Friday
First Night Game for Lynx

September10, 2026 - Rhodes College Women’s soccer team (3-0-0) travels to Conway, Arkansas, Friday to meet a former conference opponent in Hendrix College (0-2-1). It’ll be the first night game this season for the Lynx. There will be some daylight as the game starts at 7:00 PM, but by 7:30 it would be dark if there were no lights.

The two teams have met 18 times since 2012. Hendrix has never won. It tied three times.

Last year Rhodes won 2-1 in a game which was also played at Hendrix.

The Warriors have played no common teams with Rhodes so far this year. Although they left the Southern Athletic Association after the 2024 season, they still play few of the teams Rhodes does.

In 2025, Hendrix defeated the Mississippi University for Women 3-0. Rhodes played MUW earlier this week and won 9-0 and last year got by with a 1-0 victory.
Last year, the Warriors tied Millsaps 2-2. The Lynx won their game with Millsaps 3-0 .
They beat Belhaven 3-0 and Rhodes beat the same team 2-0.
Hendrix defeated the University of the Ozarks 2-0 last year, Rhodes beat them this year 5-0. The Lynx did not play Ozarks last year.

The 2025 overall record for Hendrix was 7-9-4.

In the preseason poll for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, of which Hendrix is now a member, the team came in 4th place out of the nine teams in the league. Rhodes Women’s Soccer Team was placed third in its nine member Southern Athletic Association preseason poll.

This year, Hendrix has scored only one goal in its 3 games played whereas their opponents have scored eight.

This is the 13th season for Jeff Trimble as head coach of the Hendrix Warriors. He has an overall record with the Warriors of 101-87- 23. When Hendrix was in the SAA his conference record was 26-42-7. In the SCAC conference, his record is 4-4-2. Prior to coming to Hendrix, Trimble was head coach at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, a NCAA Division II school, for 16 years. There he was a three time Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year. He won four conference titles and finished every season in the top four of the league. His record at MSU was 194-101-28.

It's too early in the season for the NCAA Power Index to have much meaning but an eye is being kept on it and this site will begin reporting on that as the season progresses.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Weather forecast for Conway, Arkansas, for game time of 7 p.m. is for partly cloudy skies with a 30% chance of showers, temperature 84, heat index 92, wind S/ESE 1-2 mph.
Forecast as of 4:35 p.m. Sept. 11, 2026

Update: September 10, 2026 - the original scheduled start time for the September 15 Belhaven game was listed by Rhodes as 3:30 p.m. It has been changed to 4:30 p.m. Earlier listings of the schedule on this site and on the pocket size schedule handout showed the original time. Please be aware of the change.

Lynx Dominate Owls
Rhodes 9, Mississippi University for Women 0

Correction: September 11, 2026 - When originally published this article indicated the Rhodes Roster had 33 players. That was incorrect, it has 31.
September 9, 2026 - [updated September 10, 2026 to add the "Let's look at the numbers" statistics paragraph.] The Lynx overwhelmed the Owls in Tuesday’s match. In some ways, it wasn’t a fair fight. In 100 degree temperature Rhodes (3-0-0) had most of its 31 woman roster available. Mississippi University for Women (0-3-0) has a roster of only 19 and it appeared at most 16 were available for the game. Statistics show that 26 of the Lynx players got into the game. Fifteen of the Owls played, which is likely all that were available.

All of the Rhodes players who were dressed out got to play in the game. Coach McKinnon Pennell says he thinks everybody got at least 30 minutes playing time. According to the on-line statistics a few got a minute or so less, but surprisingly, those same statistics show Junior Erin Cliff with only 19 minutes. One must wonder if that number is correct.

Rhodes scored early and didn’t let up much. The first Lynx goal came only 24 seconds into the game. By the end of the match it was a Lynx victory 9-0.

The attack begins - Rhodes vs. Mississippi University for Women, September 8, 2026

Here is the scoring:

at 0:24 Freshman Ella Mullally goal, assist by Junior Maddie Carter
at 4:32 Sophomore Aurelia Kirby goal assist goes to Senior Annie Cimino
at 10:48 ditto, Sophomore Aurelia Kirby goal, assist Senior Annie Cimino
at 13:51 one good turn deserves another, this time it was Senior Annie Cimno scoring with the assist by Sophomore Aurelia Kirby
at 18:10 Senior Ellie Lawrence scored, assisted by Senior Mallory Goldstein
at 29:15 Junior Erin Cliff got a goal assisted by Junior Emily Russum
at 32:21 Junior Lina Kilgore made a goal.
That was the first half, which ended with a score of Rhodes 7, MUW 0.
In the second half:
at 52:08 Junior Maddie Carter got her first goal of the season assisted by Sophomore Aurelia Kirby
and at 80:50 Sophomore Sydney Gallagher completed thescoring assisted by Junior Jane Volf.

Some of the loneliest people on the planet may have been the Rhodes goalkeepers. The number of times MUW had the ball across the halfway line in their attacking half probably could be counted on one hand. It appears the Owls actually had control of the ball in their offensive half of the pitch one time, and that was momentary. To say the Rhodes defense dominated would be an understatement.

contested possession, Rhodes vs. MUW, 2026

contested possession, Rhodes vs. MUW, 2026

The only semi-bright spot for MUW was in the play of their goalkeeper Layla Escobedo. While she obviously did not prevent nine goals, she was kept busy preventing quite a few others. In fact, she even blocked two penalty kicks that Rhodes had earned. Escobedo isn't even listed on the Owl's roster as a goalkeeper.

Despite the one sided game, the women on both teams got to play the game they enjoy and it is believed there were no injuries. That is truly the important aspect of this game and of all games.

The first goal came so quickly people hardly had a chance to get their seats or, in this writer’s case, get in photographer position. The opening kickoff of the game by Mississippi University for Women was to a MUW midfielder who promptly sent the ball over the top towards the goal. No no one other than Rhodes players were there as no Owl players had time to populate that portion of the field. So Rhodes takes the ball, passes to the right sideline, passed further down the sideline to Junior Maddie Carter who takes it deep into the 18 yard box, cuts the ball across the face of the goal. There near the far post was Freshman Ella Mullally who heads the ball into the goal. That’s her third goal of the season and Carter’s first assist of the year.

Rhodes’ second goal of the game came after senior Senior Kat Stanley delivered a corner kick in front of the goal. The ball bounced and was kicked around for a few seconds before Sophomore Aurelia Kirby knocked it into the goal, her first of the year.

The next score came after the teams traded steals deep in the Owl’s defensive half. Control was established by Rhodes along the left sideline. The ball was passed back out to Senior Annie Cimino about 15 yards from the goal, just inside the left portion of the 18 yard box. She makes an excellent pass to Sophomore Aurelia Kirby who has established her position about 12 yards out from the goal in the center of the box. With the ball at her feet she turns and shoots right into the upper center portion of the goal. That’s her second goal of the match and of the season. It’s Cimino’s second assist.

In each of the three games Rhodes has played thus far, there has been a brace by a Lynx player. One wonders if there is a competition among the Rhodes student athletes to see who can get more than one goal in a game!

Senior Annie Cimino and Sophomore Aurelia Kirby teamed up once again for the 4th goal. A MUW player was trying to clear the ball out of the box when Cimino blocked that. After another touch the ball ends up at the foot of Kirby, who passes it back to Cimino just outside the box. Cimino promptly shoots and scores. That’s Cimino’s second goal of the season and Kirby’s second assist of the 2026 campaign.

Now it’s time for another Rhodes player to put a mark in the box score. The Lynx were passing the ball around in their attacking 3rd. Senior Mallory Goldstein receives it 25 yards out from the goal and makes a perfect pass right down the center to Senior Ellie Lawrence, who uses her right foot to put the ball past the Owl’s goalie and into the back of the net. That’s Lawrence’s first goal of the season as well as Goldstein’s first assist. The score now is 5-0.

Tally number six came after a corner kick by Rhodes was not immediately successful. Junior Emily Russum chases the ball down near the left touch line about 20 to 25 yards out. She sends a well placed ball over the top to the center of the box where Junior Erin Cliff perfectly times it to head the ball into the right bottom of the goal for her first score of the season. It’s also Russum’s first assist.

Once again this writer will comment on Russum’s fortitude and apparent love of the game. Two years ago in the first 32 seconds of the first game of that season, she suffered an ACL injury. It takes courage and determination and a lot of work to come back from that. And Emily Russell has done so.

The first half isn’t over yet, so there’s time for another score. A few moments before the 7th goal Rhodes had put the ball in the back of the net after a save by the MUW goalie and a rebound. But that quick bouncing around caught one of the Rhodes players offsides, so there was no goal. There was a throw in on the subsequent play which, as usual in this game, was quickly possessed by Rhodes. The ball was passed around and when it got to Junior Lina Kilgore she takes a shot from distance, which streaks into the left upper 90 of the net for her initial goal of the season.

Rhodes vs. MUW, 2026

And that adds up to seven goals in the first half.

The second half wasn’t as prolific, yet it was still dominated by the Lynx. It was about 7 minutes into the second half when Rhodes was working the ball along the right sideline. Sophomore Aurelia Kirby put a cross to the center of the box where Junior Maddie Carter is open about 16 yards from the goal. She promptly kicks it into the center of the net. It’s Carter’s first goal of the season and Kirby’s second assist.

The final scoring of the game came about nine minutes before time ran out. Junior Jane Volf took a corner kick and placed it toward the back post of the goal. Now Sophomore Sydney Gallagher has been in a good position near the back post on several corner kicks in this game. This time the kick found her and she found the ball which she headed into the back of the net for goal number one for her this year. The assist by Volf was her first of the season. Final score Rhodes 9, Mississippi University for Women 0.

Now the players and coaches will be preparing for Friday’s match with a former conference opponent, Hendrix College. This publication will take a look at what Hendrix might bring to the pitch in an article in a couple of days.

At some point in the near future it is expected that download files of multiple pictures from the Ozarks and MUW games will be made available.

Conway Arkansas weather forecast for the Hendrix game time: partly cloudy, temperature 85, heat index 94, wind ENE 1 mph, becoming E at 1 mph, during game.
Note: A 60-70% of showers and possibly a thunderstorm are forecast for the hours leading up to game time.

Let's look at the numbers:

Rhodes took 44 shots, 25 of which were on target, MUW had no shots;
Rhodes had no saves, MUW had 16;
Rhodes had 18 corner kicks, MUW none;
Rhodes was called for 2 fouls, MUW 4.
There were no yellow or red cards.

There were no obvious injuries during the game.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Update: September 10, 2026 - the original scheduled start time for the September 15 Belhaven game was listed by Rhodes as 3:30 p.m. It has been changed to 4:30 p.m. Earlier listings of the schedule on this site and on the pocket size schedule handout showed the original time. Please be aware of the change.

Hadley Carrington Player of the Week

Southern Athletic Association Cites Her Offensive Performance

September 9, 2026 - Yesterday, the Southern Athletic Association announced its Players of the Week for the first games of the women's soccer season. On offense, they selected Rhodes' Hadley Carrington.

"Hadley Carrington scored three goals across two victories, playing a key role in the Lynx’s offensive success. Her standout week included a game-winning goal, helping Rhodes secure an undefeated week."

Congratulations!

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Will Good Fortune to Win Continue?Preview: Rhodes vs. Mississippi University for Women

September 7, 2026 - A few minor edits have been made since this article was posted, to ensure clarity. The most significant edit was to remove an incorrect dateline at the beginning where 2 dates appeared.
September 7, 2026 - The Mississippi University for Women Owls (0-2-0) come to town tomorrow, Tuesday, September 8th, to play the Rhodes College Women’s soccer team on the home field of the Lynx. “The W” As MUW is also known has played Rhodes five times in the past five years. The Lynx have won each game. Last year, playing in Columbus Mississippi, Rhodes won 1-0.

"We were fortunate to get out of there with a win"

The Owl’s first two games this season were shortened by lightning and then darkness. After the lightning issue had cleared, the games were called after the 70th minute due to darkness. Both matches were home and home against Huntingdon College, which won the first game 5-0 and the second game 4-0.

Last year, the Owls overall record was 1-13-4 and in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) it was 0-6-2.

Close goal action in game with Univ. of the Ozarks, Sep. 4, 2026

Close goal action in game with Univ. of the Ozarks, Sep. 4, 2026

So far this year MUW has not played any common opponents that Rhodes has played. In 2025, they lost to Hendrix College, 3-0. Rhodes won their game with Hendrix 2-1. The Owls played the University of the Ozarks last year and lost 2-1 while the Lynx played Ozarks this past Friday and won 5-0.

In the SLIAC Conference preseason poll MUW came in 8th out of the 9 teams in the league. Rhodes was ranked third out of the nine teams in its Southern Athletic Association conference.

The Owls have a new head coach in Valerie Greer, who is the interim having taken over from her assistant position that she held last year with the team. She was elevated to the interim head coach position in July. The school intends to do a national search for a head coach, but did not have time to do so before the 2026 season after two year coach Ana Ramos resigned in June. Greer played soccer four years in college, the first two at Louisiana Christian University and then at Division I Mississippi Valley State University.

Rhodes coach McKinnon Pennell seems to always have something good to say about the opponents.

“They gave us heck of a challenge last year. We were fortunate to get out of there with a win. So we’re excited after playing back to back years at their place to be able to host them this year. I’m again expecting a competitive match up. They’ve got a new head coach, who I believe was their assistant last year. So I’m guessing maybe they’ll look a little bit different in terms of stylistically the way they play. I’m sure they will be ready to go and an organized team like they have been the last couple of years.”

The game will be played once again in a hot environment. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Tuesday. As of this writing, the forecast is for 98 degrees and a heat index of 104 at game time.

The MUW match will be the third game in 8 days for Rhodes. That could give the players a challenge in recovering after each game, particularly because every game has been played in the heat.

Coach Pennell addressed the relatively quick turnaround times. Listen.

The contest with the Mississippi University for Women is a non-conference match, just as have been the previous games this year. Conference play doesn't start until October 2, when Rhodes travels to Sewanee to meet that rival, Coach Pennell's alma mater.

As enjoyable as the women's soccer games are it is good to remind ourselves the players are students. The most important things are good health, integrity, good citizenship and academics. The Owls' women's team amassed a 3.52 grade point average (GPA) for its roster last season and made the United Soccer coaches All-Academic team selections. Rhodes College also earned that College Team Academic Award.

From time to time it is good to remember this: the players in NCAA Division III programs get no athletic scholarships, they are not likely to get any or any significant name-image-likeness money from their participation on the team, and despite the time and effort of the sport typically most are cited among the league's academic honors. They play for the joy their love of the game brings them.

Weather forecast for game time: sunny, 98 degrees, heat index 104, wind SSE 3 mph increasing to 6 mph during game. Heat advisory in effect.
(wind forecast updated 9/8/26 9:30 a.m.)

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

[Editor's note: much of these articles is now being dictated to a computer and software transcribed due to the author's carpal tunnel syndrome. This process results in grammatical and other errors, some of which slip through proofreading. Any such errors are regretted. Readers are always encouraged to notify the author of any errors of fact or grammar.]

Coach: "One of the Most Complete Games"Rhodes Defeats University of the Ozarks

Correction: September 6, 2026 - In earlier versions of this article, the University of the Ozarks was referred to as the Blue Jays. Its mascot name is actually the Eagles.
September 6, 2026 - Update: photos of those who scored goals in the game added.
September 6, 2026 - Rhodes Women (now 2-0-0) continue a good start on the season winning their second game. This contest was on Rhodes home field and followed the men’s game, in which the men tied Huntington College. The Women Lynx defeated the University of the Ozarks (now 0-1-0) 5-0.

It was a particularly fun game as the scoring was shared among four players. Freshman Hadley Carrington emerges as the scoring leader after two games, having scored two goals against Westminster earlier in the week and one goal Friday in the game with Ozarks. Not far behind, though, is Freshman Ella Mullally, who got two goals against the Eagles. Additional goals were scored by Senior Annie Cimino and Junior Jane Volf. Two assists were earned by Senior Kat Stanley, other assists came from Junior Lina Kilgore, and Junior Erin Cliff.

In addition to the strong offense, the defense really shined. The Eagles only got one shot and while that was on target it was saved by Rhodes goalkeeper Junior Lauren Hollis. That only came about 11 minutes into the second half. Lynx goalie Sophomore Gabby Garza who played the first half didn’t have much to do other than to distribute goal kicks.

As it turned out, the first goal which was scored by Senior Annie Cimino, was the winning goal. It came 17 minutes and 39 seconds into the first half. Junior Maddie Carter had taken a shot which was blocked and subsequently a foul was committed near the right touch line. Senior Kat Stanley took the free kick and put it perfectly into the box where fellow Senior Annie Cimino executed an excellent header to put the ball in the goal. The assist obviously goes to Stanley for the well placed ball toward the far post. Score 1-0. Watch.

Freshman Hadley Carrington collected her third goal of the year. Ozarks was bringing the ball up the field in their defensive area on their left side of the pitch when Rhodes stole it and Carrington fired a shot from perhaps 30 yards out, perfectly placed into the goal. Score 2-0. That was 36:02 into the game. Junior Lina Kilgore gets the assist.

Defense!

That was all the scoring in the first half. Rhodes, however, was just warming up.

At 55:35 into the match Senior Kat Stanley demonstrated again her skill at delivering the ball on a set piece. She took a free kick from about 50 yards out and placed it right where it should go. In this case, it was the top of the head of Freshman Ella Mullally, who from perhaps 12 yards out, headed the ball into the back of the net. That was Stanley’s second assist of the game and Mullally’s first score of the year. Score 3-0.

The scoring by Rhodes was not just repeated goals, they were particularly exciting goals. And they continued that way.

It was 63:34 into the game when Freshman Ella Mullally took a free kick from perhaps 25 to 30 yards out. She didn’t need an assist. It was a direct free kick and it went directly into the goal. With that, she earned a brace, the term given to a player’s accomplishments when scoring two goals in a game. Score 4-0.

Rhodes has played two games this year and in each a brace was scored. In the first game against Westminster it was Carrington getting the brace, in this game it was Mullally.

Did I say exciting? Absolutely!

The last scoring of the game came in a lovely build up by the Lynx as they took control of the ball perhaps 10 yards back of the halfway line and worked it in. This sequence was so pretty that one wants to give an assist to three or four players. It began when the Eagles cleared the ball out of their defensive half sending it airborne to the foot of the Rhodes’ center back. (This writer apologizes. It’s too early in the season for me to identify the individuals by stature and motion and the video is insufficient to see the number.) She passes the ball about 20 yards across the halfway line to who it looks to be possibly Freshman Kate McGarvey. She passes it to the right side of the pitch where Sophomore Sidney Gallagher takes the ball up the field a bit and then passes to another Lynx player in the right corner of the 18 yard box. She dribbles the ball to about 5 yards from the end line and cuts it back into the center of the box. Whether there’s another touch by Rhodes player at that point, I cannot tell. Regardless here comes Junior Jane Volf making a run ito the center of the box and blasts the ball into the upper right portion of the goal for the 5th score of the game. Despite my wanting to give an assist to everybody on this play, officially it goes to Junior Aaron Cliff. Score 5-0 at 77:24 into the game. Since I am having a hard time identifying some of the players from the video let’s just take a look at that play. Watch.

Exciting, yes. But more than that, according to Coach McKinnon Pennell it was the most complete game in his three years at Rhodes. Listen to his post game comments. Listen.

In terms of wins the 2026 season starts perfectly for Rhodes College Women’s Soccer Team.

The Lynx played 26 players in the match, the Eagles 20. It was another hot day. At the official start time of 4:30 the temperature at Memphis Fred W. Smith Airport was 100 degrees with a heat index of 104. By halftime, it had cooled down to 99 degrees, at which it remained until the end of the game. At the beginning of the match, the announcer said it was 97 degrees, which makes sense as there is a lot of concrete at the airport compared to the grass soccer field at Rhodes College.

Lets look at the numbers:

Shots: Rhodes 40, Ozarks 1;
Shots on Target: Rhodes 13; Ozarks 1;
Saves: Rhodes 1; Ozarks 8;
Corner Kicks: Rhodes 11, Ozarks 0;
Fouls: Rhodes 4, Ozarks 10.
There were two yellow cards issued, both against Ozarks players.

The Lady Lynx take on the University of Mississippi for Women Tuesday at Rhodes. We hope to have a preview of the game posted Monday.

Weather forecast for 4 p.m. Tuesday September 8: Sunny, temperature 98 degrees, heat index 103, wind east southeast 6 mph.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Pennell’s Perspective #1
Head Coach Offers Comments Games

September 3, 2026 Update: added a line at the end of the article to advise that parking on campus may be difficult to find.
September 3, 2026 - Rhodes Women’s Soccer Head Coach McKinnon Pennell granted this publication an interview to discuss the upcoming game with the University of the Ozarks and the earlier game this week against Westminster.

Pennell was watching video of one of the Ozarks games last year when I called. He says they “seem to be a really intelligent team... their off ball movement is really consistent and intentional which allows them to maintain possession, to breakdown opposition pressure and break some lines. I think we’re going to have to really be organized defensively in order to not allow them to get to comfortable. I think once they get comfortable and confident in moving the ball that really allows them to open up space higher up the field. While I think their biggest strength, probably, in their back line and their midfield is their technical ability. They definitely have some athletes up front, particularly their right winger [Addison Featherstone] is a quick player so if they are able to consistently maintain possession, force our back line to step up, I think that’s going to allow them some space in behind. So definitely going to try and focus on disrupting that possession as much as possible, create some turnovers, keep our space compact and minimize passing channels for sure. ”

The Eagles record last year overall was 3-10-4 and a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference result of 1-6-3.

“They’ve got a good coach... Based on what I’m seeing the results were necessarily are a true picture of how a competitive team they are or their ability... I don’t think necessarily that their record is always going to be a refection of how quality of a team they are.”

What about Rhodes, who does Pennell expect to be outstanding on offense and defense.

“We can say [Freshman] Hadley Carrington had a really great start to her college career and we hopeful she can continue the momentum she got from scoring a couple of goals on Tuesday. We’d love for her to build off of that, continue to get more confident. She’s a player, it’s been a year, but coming off an ACL injury I’m not confident that she's back to 100% yet which is really exciting for us. I think she’s still getting back into the rhythm of things... we’re excited to see how she responds after a really good start to her freshman year to see if she can build off of that.

Defensively, I think [Freshaman] Claire Lyons is someone, another freshman, who is a strong athlete whose been able to have some success getting on the score sheet last year. We’re really confident in Claire...”

The game Tuesday was shortened by 20 minutes because of the heat. Heat index temperatures were at or slightly above 100 degrees. It caused Westminster, in particular, some problems. They actually played more than five minutes of the first half with only 10 players. Tomorrow’s game with the Ozark Eagles at Rhodes College will be played while the area is under a National Weather Service Heat Advisory. The 4:30 game has a forecast for 4 p.m. Friday for a temperature of 99 degrees and a heat index of 107.

“We don’t expect it to be an issue in terms of us shortening the game or anything like that but it definitely will be hot again.”

Did you learn any lessons about the team from the Westminster game?

“I’m just really proud of the effort. Again, with the amount of turnover we had, starting, I believe four freshmen and had a couple of other players returning but making their first start, I thought everyone performed really well. We went in with a game plan, I thought we did a good job of sticking to it. For the amount of chances we traded I’m hoping moving forward we can convert a few more... I’m really proud of our back line and defensive midfielders in particular maintaining a shutout. That’s an excellent way to start the year. Overall, proud of the effort. Definitely some things we can approve on that we’ll look to work on today and hopefully showcase tomorrow.”

It was two years ago this week in the first game of that season that then freshman [now Junior ] Emily Russum suffered an ACL injury 32 seconds into the game. This writer was delighted to see her enter the Westminster game late in the first half for her first time returning in game competition.

“For her to come back — everyone was so excited for her. Such a well earned opportunity for her. She worked really hard during her recover and such a good player. From a coach’s perspective, of course, I’m happy because she only makes this team better but from a personal level she deserves everything that she gets this year in terms of opportunities and playing time and hopefully gets maybe a goal or an assist here and there but certainly contributes to a lot of shutouts as a defender.”

Pennell is looking forward to the first game of the season played on the Rhodes home field. Hear his comment.

The men's soccer team has a game at Rhodes immediately before the women's game. That may mean that parking on campus, always a limited amount, may be difficult. In those cases, people usually park along University Street or on the side strees off of University.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

University of the Ozarks Here Friday
First Rhodes Home Game of Season
September 2, 2026 - Rhodes College Women's Soccer hosts the University of the Ozarks Eagles Friday at 4:30 p.m. on the Rhodes soccer field. It will be Rhodes second game of the year and the Ozarks first. A match scheduled earlier this week for the Eagles was cancelled.

In 2025, the Ozarks had an overall record of 3-10-4, and a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference results of 1-6-3.

Rhodes and the Ozarks have met six times in the past 18 years, the last being in 2024. The Lynx have won each time with more than one goal every game. In 2024, the score was 6-0.

The Eagles had three common opponents with Rhodes last year, as they do this year. In the game against Millsaps, they tied 0-0, whereas Rhodes defeated Millsaps 3-0.

Against Hendricks College the Eagles lost 2-0 and Rhodes won 3-0.

Ozarks did win in their game against the University of Mississippi for Women with a score of 2-1. The Lynx were victorious over "The W" 1-0.

The Eagles 2026 roster lists 23 players, ten of which are returning from last year.

Last year as a Freshman Addison Featherstone was Ozarks' leading scorer with a total of five goals. She took 16 shots, 11 of which were on goal. She is a defender and midfielder and returns this year wearing a new jersey number of 9.

Natalie Dreyer enters her twelfth season as head coach of the Ozarks. There she has accumulated a record of 49-103-26. Dreyer has both bachelors and masters degrees in Education from Central Methodist University. At CMU, she started for the women’s soccer team all four years, was captain for three years and was a three time all conference selection.

The University of the Ozarks is located in Clarksville, Arkansas, a three-and-a-half to four hour drive from Memphis.

Friday’s game at Rhodes recognizes Morgan’s Message, an entity that "strives to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community and equalize the treatment of physical and mental health in athletics."

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Short Game Gives Rhodes Apparent Season Opener Win
Hadley Carrington Stars in Game

September 1, 2026 - Freshman Hadley Carrington made her debut in college soccer as if she were a shot heard around the league. Make that two shots.

In a game that was shortened by excessive heat Rhodes College defeated Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, by a score of 2-0.

It has to feel good to score in your first college game. Carrington did that 35 minutes and 38 seconds into the first half. In fact, it must have felt so good that she decided to do it again in 21 seconds worth of game time later. Sophomore Kylie Wilson assisted on that first goal. Junior Aaron Cliff is credited for assist on the second goal.

The Lynx dominated possession in the game in which the heat index was near 100 degrees. Playing on the artificial turf probably increased the heat stress on the players. Two Westminster players left the game apparently from heat related issues. The Blue Jays played the last five minutes of the first half with only 10 players on the field after one of their teammates went to the sidelines apparently suffering from the heat. It did not appear that Westminster had many substitutes available on the bench. Rhodes substituted frequently with 24 players getting playing time during the game.

After a brief conference right before the start of the second half, it was announced that that it would be 25 minutes long rather than the regular 45 minutes.

It does not appear that NCAA rules permit a designed shortened half. However, they do provide for environmental conditions causing a game to be suspended, and if 70 minutes of that game have been played and it is unable to be completed later, it can be finalized as a complete match. Presumably, for the official documentation that is what happened even though the game countdown clock was set at 25 minutes at the start of the second half. The game could not be continued later, most likely because the Rhodes College team had to get back to Memphis and that’s about a 6 hour bus ride. Schedules are such that a non-conference game would be too difficult to squeeze in at a later date. It is surely no coincidence that a 25 minute half was chosen because in combination with the first half it met the required 70 minutes rule. The headline in this article indicates an apparent win for the Lynx and that’s because of the shortened game and the complexities of the rules.

Back to the actual match play in the first half. Westminster had just taken a shot which bounced off the right post. Rhodes took the rebound and came down the left sideline. Eventually the ball was at the feet of Kiley Wilson, who fed it into Hadley Carrington. She was immediately in front center of the goal about 5 yards out. While she was marked by a defender, she was able to position herself to get a good shot into the back of the net.

After the Rhodes goal, Westminster’s kickoff resulted in a couple of passes before a Lynx midfielder, most likely Junior Jane Volf, stole the ball near her left sideline. (The video is such that it is sometimes very difficult to see fine details, like a jersey number.) She passes it to Carrington about 15 yards inside the touchline who in turn passes it towards the center of the field to Junior Erin Cliff. It’s the old give and go. Carrington makes a run for the goal and Cliff feeds it right down the center of the field to her about 20 yards out. Carrington shoots from about 15 yards from the goal to score her "brace," the second goal for an individual in a game.

The score at half was 2-0 and that was all the scoring in the game.

It was a clean sheet for the Rhodes Lynx. Both Sophomore Gabby Garza and Junior Lauren Hollis played in the goal for Rhodes. The defense allowed only three shots by the Blue Jays, of which two were on target but resulted in saves. Rhodes, on the other hand, had 15 shots with six of them being on target.

Let’s do the other numbers:
Rhodes had 2 saves, Westminster 4;
Rhodes got 5 corner kicks, Westminster none;
Lynx committed 7 fouls, Blue Jays 9;
Each team had one player get a yellow card, there were no red cards.

[Edior's note: it would be great to show you a video or even a still image of a shot making a goal but the video isn't of a quality to make that worthwhile.]

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

First 2026 Match
Preview: Westminster vs. Rhodes

August 31, 2026 - Rhodes College Women’s Soccer has played Westminster College of Fulton, Missouri, 4 times best we can tell. Each was a victory for the Lynx. In the 2024 game, which Rhodes won 5-0, two current players were involved in scoring successes. Then-freshman Maddie Carter scored a goal assisted by then-freshman Lina Kilgore. Kilagore also had another assist in the match. Today both women are in the junior class.

In 2019, the Lynx won one to nothing. It was a 4-0 win in 2012. A year earlier, 2011, the score was 3-0.

In the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament last year, the Blue Jays were defeated in the semifinal match.

Before we take a look at the coaches in tomorrow’s game let’s remember this. In NCAA Division III sports there are no athletic scholarships. These women play because they love the game. If they attend a good academic school, which Rhodes is considered to be, then they are handling rigorous study demands as well as the dedication, time, and effort in their sport.

Westminster ‘s Head Coach Courtney Howe is a 2013 graduate of the school and enters her sixth season as leading the Blue Jays. Her overall record as head coach is 38-39-11. She ranks second in school history for career victories. Under her leadership, Westminster has qualified for the St Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Tournament in every season she’s been head coach, highlighted by a conference tournament championship game appearance in 2022. During her playing years at Westminster, she started as goalkeeper all four years.

McKinnon Pennell is in his third year as women’s head soccer coach, all at Rhodes College. His overall record is 25-9-3. In conference play, his totals are 8-3-2. He’s taken the team to the conference championship game in 2024 and 2025. Last year, he also took the team to the Division III NCAA Championship Tournament. It was the third time in Rhodes College history the women’s soccer team had gone to the NCAA. And this time they went further than ever before. They won their first round game before losing the second match to the eventual runner up in the national championship, Emory. The Lynx ranked 35th in the nation in Division Three Women’s soccer, according to the NCAA Power Index in 2025.

Pennell earned his undergraduate degree in economics and played soccer at Sewanee. He has also earned his master’s degree in education from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to coming to Rhodes his collegiate coaching experience includes three years as assistant coach at Sewanee and as director of soccer operations at Old Dominion University.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Season Begins Tomorrow
Long Nine Month Wait Will End

August 31, 2026 - Excited yet? I am. The 2026 Southern Athletic Association Women’s Soccer season begins tomorrow. Among the games to be played is Westminster College hosting Rhodes College at Westminster’s campus in Fulton MO.

The time for the match start has been moved to 1 p.m. CDT.

For those of you not traveling to Fulton, MO as I will not, the game is scheduled to be streamed at this link.

It is unknown whether this is a free viewing streaming service or one for which one has to pay.

This is a good time to mention that the Southern Athletic Association conference games will be streamed on FlowCollege, part of FlowSports, this year and will require a subscription to view. Rhodes College is a member of the SAA.

Lynxwomenssoccer.com has asked both coaches for a preview of the game if they have time and interest. If the coaches provide comments this publication will post a report shortly thereafter. If not, it is hoped a preview report can be posted no later than tomorrow morning.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Schedule Handout
Offered at Early Home Games

Update: September 22, 2026 - Announced today, the game with Covenant has been rescheduled for October 14, so no game tomorrow!
Update: September 10, 2026 - the original scheduled start time for the September 15 Belhaven game was listed by Rhodes as 3:30 p.m. It has been changed to 4:30 p.m. Earlier listings of the schedule on this site and on the pocket size schedule handout showed the original time. Please be aware of the change.
August 31, 2026 - For the first few home games, this writer will be offering business size cards with the 2026 Rhodes College Women's Soccer schedule (in Central Time). If you want one and I fail to offer you one, please do not hesitate to ask for one. I'll be the old guy wearing a Rhodes Women's Soccer tee shirt, a red and black cap, and I'll probably have a camera hanging from my neck.

All times are Central Time Zone.

If you look at The Daily Memphian (dailymemphian.com) there is an ad rotating on and off promoting the first home game.

Excited to see the season begin!

Scrimmage Report — Missed

Storms Caused Rescheduling

It was scheduled for August 22 at 7:00 PM but severe thunderstorms had just cleared the area as game time approached. When this writer arrived at the Christian Brothers University campus, the gatehouse attendant said the game had been canceled.

It appears likely that it was just rescheduled for the next day. The CBU website listed it as then occurring on the 23 but no time of game.

Missing the game and not being able to report on it is regretted.

Update: This publication probably will not cover the August 25 scrimmage due to age related travel issues.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Preseason Poll Rankings

Trinity Once Again At Top

August 20, 2026 - The 2026 Southern Athletic Association’s Women’s Soccer preseason poll has been published. The rankings are the opinions from the 9 head women’s soccer coaches in the league.

Rhodes College is ranked number three behind number one Trinity and number two Sewanee.

Here are the preseason survey rankings:

Rank	Team	Points	First Place Points	When Rhodes Plays
1	Trinity	71	7	October 30
2	Sewanee	64	2	October 2
3	Rhodes	58
4	Centre	51		October 23
5	Oglethorpe	37		October 11
6	Maryville	35		October 4
6	Southwestern	35		November 1
8	Berry	29		October 9
9	Millsaps	16		October 21

Trinity was also the preseason favorite in 2025 and it won the regular season in the conference as well as the championship tournament. Last year, Rhodes was ranked fourth in the preseason poll and finished runner up to Trinity in the league championship. Both Rhodes College and Trinity University were selected to play in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament and both won their first game in that competition but were eliminated in their second game.

The regular season for SAA teams begins September 1. The conference championship will be November 5-8 in Mt. Berry, Georgia, at the Berry College.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

All Academic Team Honors 2025-2026

No Surprise Here — Rhodes Among 4 Teams in Conference Listed

August 17, 2026 - United Soccer Coaches announced this month its College Team Academic Award winners, recognized for their exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2025-26 academic year. A total of 777 soccer teams (326 men, 451 women) posted a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher, thereby earning the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award for the 2025-26 academic year.

From the Southern Athletic Association:

Rhodes College

Sewanee

Southwestern University

Trinity University

As reported previously, 29 of the Rhodes College Women's Soccer Team made the Southern Athletic Association's 2025 Fall All-Academic Honor Roll, which actually has a higher standard than the United Soccer Coaches requirements.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Part Time Assistant Coaches Added

Three Will Help the Two Full Time Coaches

August 13, 2026 - Rhodes College has announced additional assistance women’s soccer coaches. These are believed to be part-time assistants.

Part Time Coaches Carter, Andrews, Santos

Brandon Carter returns as a goalkeeper assistant coach. He's held that position at Rhodes College for a few years. He is the head boys soccer coach at Bartlett High School from which he graduated. He has a degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science From the University of Memphis. He has been twice named boys soccer coach of the Year by Memphis publications.

Luke Andrews is a new assistant soccer coach at Rhodes College. He will assist both the women's and the men's teams. Most recently, he was the graduate assistant soccer coach at Christian Brothers University for the women's team while earning his MBA degree. Before that, he was an assistant women's soccer coach at Northwest Mississippi Community College. He played collegiate soccer at William Penn University.

Boe Santos was a goalkeeper at Rhodes College and that's the position he will help coach this year at Rhodes. He graduated in 2020. His high school career was at the Randolph School in Huntsville, Alabama, where he also played goalkeeper.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Preseason Exhibition Games Ahead

Includes a Division II Team & a Junior College Championship Team

Update August 25, 2026 - The scrimmage with Northwest Junior College previously scheluled for 6:30 p..m. today in Senatobia, Mississsippi, is now listed as a 7:15 p.m. start.
August 12, 2026 - It is welcome week at Rhodes College. New students will be moving in and undergoing orientation. Incoming members and returning players of the 2026 Rhodes College Women’s Soccer Team will gather together for the first time. They too will have an orientation session. The first practice is expected to occur Saturday. Competition, if even an exhibition game, comes on the eighth day.

In preparation for the season opening game September 1 against Westminster College to be played in Fulton, Missouri, and the home opener September 4 against the University of the Ozarks, there are two preseason scrimmage games.

On August 22 at 7:00 PM, the Rhodes women’s soccer team will play Christian Brothers University women in an exhibition match at CBU. The Buccaneers are a NCAA Division II squad.

The second scrimmage is against Northwest Mississippi Community College August 25 at 6:30 PM on the campus of NWCC in Senatobia, Mississippi. That team won the 2025 National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Championship.

These are the same two teams Rhodes played in their spring practice games. Both opponents outscored the Lynx.

It will be interesting to see the early development of the 2026 Rhodes team which is incorporating 12 freshmen and one new transfer student. A second transfer student joined the team in the spring and played in the spring event. Eleven players from last year’s team were lost to graduation. Congratulations to them. They will be missed on the pitch, in classrooms, and on the campus generally. The story below gives the class year breakdowns of the 2026 squad.

As an aside, in an exhibition game Saturday (August 8) against the University of Arkansas, the University of Memphis scored two goals to Arkansas’ none in a 3 period 90 minute match. Arkansas in preseason polls is ranked #10 in the nation and Memphis is ranked #21. Both are Division I NCAA teams. (Rhodes is an NCAA Division III program.)
The University of Memphis opens its season with a home game tonight.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Latest (Revised) 2026 Roster Available

Two Changes from the June Roster

August 9, 2026 [Updated August 20, 2026] - The full 2026 Rhodes College Women's soccer team will meet for the first time this week as the incoming freshmen arrive at the school. The first practice is expected Saturday. As preseason practice and scrimmages approach, there are two changes to note with the roster. Cate Sato, a junior, who was a forward on the team, has decided not to participate this year. In addition, a second transfer student is joining the team. Kylie Wilson, a forward, is transferring in as a sophomore from Emporia State University in Kansas. With the changes, the roster remains at 31 players, consisting of twelve freshmen, six sophomores, eight juniors and five seniors. Seventeen of the players are returning from last year. Twelve are freshmen and two are transfers students. Senior Kat Stanley has been named captain of the team, additional captains may be named later. Here is the current roster:

# Name Pos. Yr. Hometown / Previous School

0 Lauren Hollis GK Jr. Raleigh, NC / Millbrook HS – Dickinson College

00
Gabi Garza ● GK So. Dallas, TX / Ursuline Academy

2 Emily Russum ● D Jr. Littleton, CO / Chatfield Senior HS

3 Jane Volf ● M Jr. Houston, TX / Incarnate Word Academy

4 Lina Kilgore ● M Jr. Kansas City, MO / Saint Teresa's Academy

5 Maddie Carter ● F Jr. Cordova, TN / Briarcrest HS

6 Maggie Gladkowski D Fr. Allentown, NJ / Peddie School

7 Hadley Carrington F Fr. Denver, CO / Kent Denver School

8 Jessie Poulter ● M Jr. Harpenden, UK / International School

9 Lauren Bradford M Fr. Baton Rouge, LA / Episcopal School of Baton Rouge

10 Annie Cimino ● M Sr. Charleston, WV / Charleston Catholic

11 Morgan Ertel F Fr. Greenwich, CT / Greenwich Country Day School

12 Audrey Moncho F Fr. Oklahoma City, OK / Casady School

13 Aurelia Kirby ● M So. Charleston, WV / Charleston Catholic

14 Kate McGarvey ● M So. Houston, TX / Incarnate Word Academy

15 Sydney Gallagher ● F So. New Orleans, LA / Isidore Newman School

16 Audrey Rush M Fr. Frisco, TX / Rick Reedy HS

17 Ella Mullally F Fr. Decatur, GA / Marist School

18 Erin Strickland ● F Sr. Little Rock, AR / Mount Saint Mary Academy

19 Lily Simpson ● D Jr. Chattanooga, TN / Baylor School

20 Mallory Goldstein ● D Sr. Des Moines, IA / West Des Moines Valley HS

21 Erin Cliff ● F Jr. Oakton, VA / Oakton HS

22 Claire Lyons D Fr. Saint Paul, MN / Cretin-Derham Hall

23 Cate Prophater M Fr. Brookhaven, GA / Marist School

25 Ellie Lawrence ● F Sr. Shreveport, LA / CE Byrd

26 Kylie Wilson F So. Olathe, KS / Olathe HS – Emporia University

27 Charlotte Hill ● M So. Mount Pleasant, SC / Oceanside Collegiate Academy

28 Savvy Palmer M Fr. Calhoun, GA / Darlington School

30
Alex Bender D Fr. Fredericksburg, MD / Tuscarora HS

33 Lili Arjmand F Fr. New Orleans, LA / Isidore Newman School

35 Kat Stanley ● M Sr. Greenville, NC / Virginia Military Institute

● indicates returning player from 2025 Team

August 20, 2026 - Editor's note: as originally published by Rhodes, the player Gabi Garza was listed as wearing number 1, however that subsequently has been changed to number 00. Player Alex Bender was first listed as number 29 but now as 30. The revisions have been applied above.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

New Assistant Coach Named

Brandon Danzansky Joins Staff for 2026 Season

Correction - August 7, 2026: The photo posted here yesterday identified as that of Brandon Danzansky was apparently of his brother. The picture has now been replaced with one of Brandon Danzansky.
August 6, 2026 - Rhodes College has named its new assistant women's soccer coach. He is 30 year old Brandon Danzansky. For the past six years he has been assistant head coach at Aspen High School in Aspen, Colorado. He attended the University of Redlands in California, obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Media Studies from the University of Southern California and got a Masters degree in Sports Business from Leeds Beckett University in England. According to online profiles, Danzansky played college soccer at the University of Redlands and USC, was a practice player for USC’s national-championship women’s team, and competed internationally with RIASA in Leeds, UK. He played high school soccer at Pine Crest School in Florida where he was the 2014 senior captain but missed a lot of his senior season due to a hamstring injury.

Danzansky takes the job Kyle Schwartz had held at Rhodes College. Schwartz has moved on to Arkansas State University.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Assistant Coach Kyle Schwartz No Longer With Team

Takes Similar Job at Arkansas State University

[Update June 24, 2026 - Arkansas State University has announced that Kyle Schwartz, the former assistant coach at Rhodes, is joining ASU as assistant coach for the Arkansas State Women’s Soccer Team. Minor revisions in article below to change verb tense to reflect the new information.]
June 9, 2026 - For the past three seasons Kyle Schwartz has been the Assistant Women's Soccer Coach at Rhodes College. He coached at the Spring Game/Scrimmage April 9, 2026. With new postings on the Rhodes College Athletics web site, his name is missing from both the roster and the coaches listings. A job opening for the position had been posted by the college. It appears to be a busy summer for the athletic department and human resources as there appear to be 6 coach and assistant coach positions open in various sports along with one athletic trainer job.
Lynxwomenssoccer.com has been unable to obtain additional information about this change.

Schwartz is a graduate of Cumberland University, where he played soccer, and obtained his master's degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from Middle Tennessee State University. In addition to his work with Rhodes, Schwartz coached for a local soccer club and refereed high school games.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

2026 Rhodes College Women's Soccer Roster

Thirty-One Students Make Up the Early Team Roster

August 9, 2026 - Note: as of August, the roster has undergone a couple of changes. see the current roster here.
June 6, 2026 - The 2026 Rhodes College Women's Soccer Team consists of thirty one members, according to the early June roster release. The team is heavy with newcomers. There will be 12 freshmen, 5 sophomores, 9 juniors and 5 seniors wearing the Lynx jerseys on the soccer pitch. Despite the large number of freshmen joining the team this year, those returning from last year's squad are still the majority, compromising 18 of the players. As reported earlier, one of the juniors on the team this year is a transfer student. Only one team memeber is from Memphis, two from Tennessee.
Here's the team roster, as posted in early June:

#	Name	Pos.	Yr.	Hometown / Previous School
0	Lauren Hollis	GK	Jr.	Raleigh, NC / Millbrook HS – Transfer Student
1	Gabi Garza ●	GK	So.	Dallas, TX / Ursuline Academy
2	Emily Russum ●	D	Jr.	Littleton, CO / Chatfield Senior HS
3	Jane Volf ●	M	Jr.	Houston, TX / Incarnate Word Academy
4	Lina Kilgore ●	M	Jr.	Kansas City, MO / Saint Teresa's Academy
5	Maddie Carter ●	F	Jr.	Cordova, TN / Briarcrest HS
6	Maggie Gladkowski	D	Fr.	Allentown, NJ / Peddie School
7	Hadley Carrington	F	Fr.	Denver, CO / Kent Denver School
8	Jessie Poulter ●	M	Jr.	Harpenden, UK / International School
9	Lauren Bradford	M	Fr.	Baton Rouge, LA / Episcopal School of Baton Rouge
10	Annie Cimino ●	M	Sr.	Charleston, WV / Charleston Catholic
11	Morgan Ertel	F	Fr.	Greenwich, CT / Greenwich Country Day School
12	Audrey Moncho	F	Fr.	Oklahoma City, OK / Casady School
13	Aurelia Kirby ●	M	So.	Charleston, WV / Charleston Catholic
14	Kate McGarvey ●	M	So.	Houston, TX / Incarnate Word Academy
15	Sydney Gallagher ●	F	So.	New Orleans, LA / Isidore Newman School
16	Audrey Rush	M	Fr.	Frisco, TX / Rick Reedy HS
17	Ella Mullally	F	Fr.	Decatur, GA / Marist School
18	Erin Strickland ●	F	Sr.	Little Rock, AR / Mount Saint Mary Academy
19	Lily Simpson ●	D	Jr.	Chattanooga, TN / Baylor School
20	Mallory Goldstein ●	D	Sr.	Des Moines, IA / West Des Moines Valley HS
21	Erin Cliff ●	F	Jr.	Oakton, VA / Oakton HS
22	Claire Lyons	D	Fr.	Saint Paul, MN / Cretin-Derham Hall
23	Cate Prophater	M	Fr.	Brookhaven, GA / Marist School
24	Cate Sato ●	F	Jr.	Manchester, MO / Parkway South HS
25	Ellie Lawrence ●	F	Sr.	Shreveport, LA / CE Byrd
27	Charlotte Hill ●	M	So.	Mount Pleasant, SC / Oceanside Collegiate Academy
28	Savvy Palmer	M	Fr.	Calhoun, GA / Darlington School
29	Alex Bender	D	Fr.	Fredericksburg, MD / Tuscarora HS
33	Lili Arjmand	F	Fr.	New Orleans, LA / Isidore Newman School
35	Kat Stanley ●	M	Sr.	Greenville, NC / Virginia Military Institute
	● indicates returning player from 2025 Team

2026 Schedule Released

First Kick Scheduled for September 1

September 22, 2026 - Update: the game with Covenant has been rescheduled for October 14. The change is noted in a footnote to the table.
June 5, 2026 - Update/correction September 10, 2026 - revised the time of the Bellhaven game to 4:30 p.m.
Update August 31, 2026 - The first game against Westminster College has been changed back to a start time for 1 p.m. according to both schools ' web sites.
The 2026 women's soccer schedule is always subject to change so checking the schedule at https://rhodeslynx.com/sports/womens-soccer/schedule is recommended before travel. In fact, it has already changed from what was anticipated two months ago. As it stands now the Lady Lynx will open the season against Westminster College September 1 in Fulton, Missouri. The regular season schedule features seven home games and nine away. There is one stretch in which five games are on the road. The season concludes November 5th through 8th with the Southern Athletic Association Championships to be held in Mount Berry, Georgia at Berry College.

Once again, the Rhodes team will engage in a early tournament of sorts when they go to St Louis, Missouri to play Depauw University on September 19th. The winner of that game will play the 2025 Division III National Champions Washington University the next day. Both games are at the campus of WashU.

If the old guy who is the author of this website is able it is hoped that once again previews of the games will be posted a few days before each game and a review of the games within a few days after.

Here is the schedule as released in early June, all times are Central Time Zone:

Date	Time	At	Opponent	Location
September 1, 2026 (Tuesday)	02:00:00 PM	Away	Westminster College (MO)	Fulton, MO
September 4, 2026 (Friday)	04:30:00 PM	Home	University of the Ozarks	Memphis, TN / Rhodes Soccer Field
September 8, 2026 (Tuesday)	04:00:00 PM	Home	Mississippi University for Women	Memphis, TN / Rhodes Soccer Field
September 11, 2026 (Friday)	07:00:00 PM	Away	Hendrix College	Conway, AR
September 15, 2026 (Tuesday)	04:30:00 PM	Home	Belhaven University	Memphis, TN / Rhodes Soccer Field
September 19, 2026 (Saturday)	03:30:00 PM	Neutral	DePauw University	St. Louis, MO (WashU)
September 20, 2026 (Sunday)	TBA	Away	WashU/UC Santa Cruz	St. Louis, MO (WashU)
September 23, 2026 (Wednesday)**	03:00:00 PM	Away	Covenant College	Lookout Mountain, GA
October 2, 2026 (Friday)	05:00:00 PM	Away	Sewanee*	Sewanee, TN
October 4, 2026 (Sunday)	11:00:00 AM	Away	Maryville College*	Maryville, TN
October 9, 2026 (Friday)	03:30:00 PM	Home	Berry College*	Memphis, TN / Rhodes Soccer Field
October 11, 2026 (Sunday)	11:00:00 AM	Home	Oglethorpe University*	Memphis, TN / Rhodes Soccer Field
October 21, 2026 (Wednesday)	03:30:00 PM	Home	Millsaps College*	Memphis, TN / Rhodes Soccer Field
October 23, 2026 (Friday)	01:00:00 PM	Home	Centre College*	Memphis, TN / Rhodes Soccer Field
October 30, 2026 (Friday)	05:30:00 PM	Away	Trinity University*	San Antonio, TX
November 1, 2026 (Sunday)	11:00:00 AM	Away	Southwestern University*	Georgetown, TX
November 5-8, 2026 (Thursday)		Neutral	SAA Championships	Mount Berry, GA (Berry College)

* Denotes Conference Game ** Game Rescheduled to Oct. 14

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

The 2026 Spring Roster Members

Spring Scrimmages: "The Girls Are Ecstatic and Excited About It"

After Nearly Six Weeks of Practice — Competition

Update April 11, 2026: snapshots from the Spring Scrimmages have now been posted here.

April 10, 2026 - Yesterday, the Rhodes College Women’s Soccer Team’s spring roster played 45 minutes against Christian Brothers University and 45 minutes against Northwest Mississippi Community College in the spring scrimmage.

Rhodes did not score, but the other teams did. If you’re going to get outscored, a spring scrimmage is a good time to do it.

Northwest was the star of the scrimmages. They outscored both Rhodes and CBU.

In previously published articles on this page it was stated that the transfer student athlete would not join the team until August. It turns out that Lauren Hollis joined the team this spring and played in yesterday’s scrimmages.

Based on the players jersey numbers, it appears that Emily Russum was also on the field, much to the delight of this writer. Ms. Russum is a sophomore and has been on the soccer team for the past two years. But in the first game of 2024, in which she started, she was injured about 32 seconds into the game. A torn ACL takes a long time to heal. She worked her way back late last season but never was able to get into a game. So it was great to see her on the pitch during these scrimmages.

Despite the other teams shutting out Rhodes, Assistant Coach Kyle Schwartz says it was a worthwhile experience for both the coaches and the players. Hear his comment.

Kyle Schwartz

Schwartz said that in the spring players are not at their top match fitness and that he saw that in the nature of the play in the second 45 minutes scrimmage.

The spring roster consists of the sophomores, juniors and seniors as well as the one transfer in student-athlete. That’s about 20 players, whereas the fall team is expected to be close to 34 players. For the scrimmages yesterday, it appeared Rhodes College had about 16 players dressed out.

Spring practice started in early March and the team and the coaches have put in a lot of work. “Just having the fact we got to play two games, the girls are ecstatic and excited about it,” said Schwartz. Actual competition gave the coaches a better look at how the players fare on the pitch.

When practice resumes in mid August and the team is joined by about 14 incoming freshmen, Schwartz says it’s back to the basics. Those freshmen will be learning how Rhodes wishes to play.

This month, the NCAA is scheduled to publish any rule changes for the upcoming season. It appears any changes will be relatively minor. At last, check those rule proposals have not been adopted or published.

An intriguing recommendation from a NCAA Rules Committee is that Division I men’s college soccer extend its season to cover the entire academic year. The committee indicated the women’s game needed more study as to whether its season should be extended. Even if this rule would be adopted, it is questionable whether it will ever apply to Division III schools, of which Rhodes College is one. Some of the reasons cited for extending the men’s season are injury recovery time and especially more preparation for those who may go to the pro game. Given that professional aspect to the proposed rule, it may never be implemented for Division III schools. One published report indicates that of Division III men and women’s players, only 0.4% ever sign with an American professional soccer team. It is also reported that only 1% of soccer players from any division will ever go pro.

Having said that, this writer would love to see a longer season and more games for Division III Women’s Soccer. But that is a selfish point of view which ignores the primary purpose of college athletics. The primary purpose of college is academics. This writer agrees that academics are the most important aspect of college life. Good health, good citizenship and a good education should be the goal of both the students, faculty, coaches and the institution itself. Athletics should never interfere with that.

There are now just less than five months until Rhodes College opens its women’s soccer season. Go Rhodes!

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

[note April 17, 2026 - most of the above article was dictated to the computer due to the editor having carpal tunnel syndrome. That led to a number of grammatical and other errors, which it is hoped have now been corrected.]

Spring Practice Nears End — Scrimmages Thursday

Early Preparation for the 2026 Season Going Well

April 7, 2026 - After six weeks of spring practice, the returning members of the Rhodes College Women’s soccer team take the field in preseason scrimmage Thursday. It will be the first game-style look the coaches will have at the team.

Obviously, the incoming freshmen are not part of the spring practice, nor is the one transfer student who plans to join the team. They will arrive in mid August for the preseason practices and the official first game of the season.

Coach McKinnon Pennell enters his third season as a head coach, all at Rhodes. Kyle Schwartz enter his enters his fourth season as assistant coach.

McKinnon Pennel & "Mac"

You might think that the off season is one of a lot of relaxed down time for a coach with nothing but a little recruiting, planning, and spring practice. This year, however, may have been especially busy for Coach Pannell and his wife Jenn, as they welcomed “Mac,” their newborn baby to their family.

Pennell says he can see the improvement in players who worked on their game during the off season. View his comment here.

Formal, although technically voluntary, off season sessions consist of two days of weightlifting, with a third day expected of some kind of additional voluntary workout, weights or running or whatever. Once the spring training season begins officially, that changes to one formal weightlifting session and three days of practice on the soccer field a week.

By NCAA rule, spring practice has 24 days of workouts.

While fitness is an important attribute he wants his players to have, Pennell says he doesn’t devote a lot of time in spring practice to that. His expectations are that, ideally, the players will come to practice in relatively good condition and furthermore, he says, running to get in shape isn’t particularly enjoyable. What conditioning occurs during practice is often handled by assistant coach Kyle Schwartz, who has a degree in sport and exercise science.

Coach Pennell says even the tactical aspects of the game are addressed on the field, not on whiteboards. During the regular season, however, as preparation for the upcoming games they do watch films two or three times a week.

The coach hopes all the players will be healthy and ready to play during the spring scrimmages on Thursday. A few have minor sprains and strains from which they are recovering.

The spring games/scrimmages first kick is 4:30 Thursday, April 9th at the Rhodes College Soccer Field. The opponents are Christian Brothers University and Northwest Mississippi Community College. While all the players on the Rhodes spring roster are returning from the team last year this will be their first external competition in 2026.

You can read a little bit more about the spring roster lineup and the spring games opponents in the article below.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Warming Up for the Passion & Joy of Women's Soccer

2026 Spring Practice Leading to Spring Scrimmages

Correction: August 10, 2026 - As originally posted, this article indicated the Northwest Mississippi Community College won the 2025 NCAA Junior College Division Two Championship. Actually, it is the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Championship. The correction has been applied below.
March 23, 2026 [Updated March 24, 2026 to add details of Coach Pennell's history] - It's spring and the weather is warming up. It may be nearly 5 months before the college women’s soccer season begins but the excitement is beginning to warm up, too.

“It’s soccer. There’ll be a lot of empty seats.” That’s a line from a television show that aired several years ago entitled “Last Man Standing.”

Maddie Carter Not any more. That was then. This is now. A March 28, 2026, National Women’s Soccer League game in Denver has sold 50,000 tickets.[Update: the announced attendance for that game was 63,004.]

Women’s sports in the United States is on the rise. And the excitement of soccer is catching on here. Soccer, of course, has been extremely popular in other parts of the world for many years.

Two Memphis college women’s soccer teams made it to the NCAA tournament last year: in Division I the University of Memphis and in Division III Rhodes College. Both made it to the second round of the tournament. Both offer an exciting brand of soccer played with passion and joy.

It is important to point out frequently that NCAA Division III sports, of which Rhodes College is a member, does not offer athletic scholarships. These ladies play for their love of the game.

It takes a lot of these students' time, effort and sacrifice all the while maintaining grades at good schools. (See the Rhodes Soccer Team members of 2025 Southern Athletic Association's Academic Honor Roll below.)

Rhodes College opens their regular season on September 2. But right now it’s spring practice. On April 9, the Rhodes College Women’s soccer team will be finishing up spring training with a scrimmage against two teams: Christian Brothers University and Northwest Mississippi Community College. This spring’s scrimmages will be at the Rhodes College soccer field beginning at 4:30 p.m.

One cannot but be proud of the team member seniors graduating this spring but their contribution to the team and to the college will be missed.

The 2025 Team Captain and leading scorer for the past two years, Sophia Rall, is among those graduating this spring. The second highest goal maker last year was Maddie Carter, who returns as a junior for the 2026 season.

Lauren Hollis Rhodes has 19 returning players from last year’s squad. As it shapes up now, only one player on the Rhodes team will be from Memphis and will be Maddie Carter, a junior in the fall. The 15 new recruits will join the team later in the summer. Fourteen of the recruits are coming from their high schools and one more is a college transfer. Transferring in is Lauren Hollis, a goalkeeper from Dickinson College who will be a junior at Rhodes in the fall. Two of Rhodes College goalkeepers from last year will be graduating this spring. It should be noted that the recruits have made a verbal commitment to attend Rhodes.

See the 2026 Spring roster below.

Rhodes College head women's soccer coach, McKinnon Pennell, enters his third year at Rhodes with a record of 25-9-3. It is also his 3rd year as a college head coach. Under his ledership the team went to the conference championship for the past two years, as it had under the previous coach in 2023. For only the third time in school history, the 2025 team was invited to play in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament and for the first time advanced to the second round of that playoff.

CBU has a new coach, Christopher Tadley, who has coached at the University of Memphis and most recently led the program at Carroll University, where he built one of the top teams in its conference. CBU has six players on its roster from the Memphis metro area and six international players. Last year, CBU posted a 3-12-1 record.

Northwest is led by James Beattie, a Glasgow, Scotland native, who enters his seventh year as head coach there. Last year’s team posted a 21-1-1 record record and won the NJCAA Division II Junior College Tournament Championship.

Next Game: 3 p.m. CT Oct. 14 vs. Covenant @ Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Twenty-nine Players On SAA Fall 2025 Academic Honor Roll

Honor Requires a Minimum Fall Semester GPA of 3.25

January 30, 2026 - This may be the most exciting statistic for Rhodes College Women's Soccer, one which this author awaits eagerly each year. The Southern Athletic Association's Fall Academic Honor Roll has been released. The 25 honorees achieved the fall semester's requirement of a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.25 on a four point system while participating in a SAA conference-sponsored varsity sport. College is about many things but at its core is academics. This publication is proud of all the team members and finds these honorees are the super stars of the 2025 soccer team.

Liv Barfield	Lina Kilgore
Elsa Billingslea	Aurelia Kirby
Caroline Buendia	Ellie Lawrence
Madeline Carter	Reese Owens
Annie Cimino	Jessie Poulter
Erin Cliff	Sophia Rall
Grace Culver	Blair Rice
Kayleigh Doherty	Emily Russum
Sydney Gallagher	Kat Stanley
Gabi Garza	Erin Strickland
Mallory Goldstein	Jane Volf
Cassidy Henghold	Maggie Wakefield
Charlotte Hill

The Honor Roll was released January 20, 2026. An editorial issue delayed its publication here.

2026 [Spring] Roster Released

January 30,2026 - A roster of players for the 2026 Rhodes College Woman's Soceer Team has been released.All 19 of the listed players are returning from th 2025 season. Incoming recruits are not listed. At last check, all the 2026 recruits were seniors at their high schools with that graduation expected in the spring. An expanded roster is expected in August. Here is the spring Rhodes Lynx roster:

Jersey #	Name	Position	2026-27 Class Year	Hometown / Previous School
1	Gabi Garza	GK	So.	Dallas, TX / Ursuline Academy
2	Emily Russum	D/M	Jr.	Littleton, CO / Chatfield Senior HS
4	Lina Kilgore	D	Jr.	Kansas City, MO / Saint Teresa's Academy
5	Maddie Carter	F/M	Jr.	Cordova, TN / Briarcrest HS
10	Annie Cimino	M	Sr.	Charleston, WV / Charleston Catholic
12	Jessie Poulter	M	Jr.	Harpenden, UK / International School
13	Aurelia Kirby	M	So.	Charleston, WV / Charleston Catholic High School
15	Sydney Gallagher	D	So.	New Orleans, LA / Isidore Newman School
17	Jane Volf	M/D	Jr.	Houston, TX / Incarnate Word Academy
18	Erin Strickland	M/F	Sr.	Little Rock, AR /
19	Lily Simpson	OB	Jr.	Chattanooga, TN / Baylor HS
20	Mallory Goldstein	D	Sr.	Des Moines, IA / West Des Moines Valley High School
21	Erin Cliff	F/M	Jr.	Oakton, VA / Oakton HS
24	Cate Sato	OB	Jr.	Manchester, MO / Parkway South HS
25	Ellie Lawrence	M/F	Sr.	Shreveport, LA / CE Byrd
27	Charlotte Hill	M	So.	Mount Pleasant, SC / Oceanside Collegiate Academy
30	Kate McGarvey	M	So.	Houston, TX / Incarnate Word Academy
33	Abby Bell	D	So.	Atlanta, GA / Blessed Trinity Catholic HS
35	Kat Stanley	M/D	Sr.	Greenville, NC / Virginia Military Institute

Post-Season Interview with Coach McKinnon Pennell

Extended Version

December 25, 2025 - The following are video clips from the December 1, 2025, interview with Rhodes College Women's Soccer Head Coach McKinnon Pennell. Much of this has already been posted in an article below, but there are some additional topics and some extended comments.

Topic   1: Overall assessment of the 2025 season
Topic   2: Thoughts on the NCAA Round 2 Game with Emory
Topic   3: NCAA Money for Participation in Championship Tournament
Topic   4: Travel Arrangements
Topic   5: Is there a limit on the number of players on a team or travel squad?
Topic   6: Travel Issues in Texas and Study Time
Topic   7: How Do You Recruit?
Topic   8: Status of Recruiting Efforts for the 2026 Team
Topic 9: Stadium Assets
Topic 10: The Coaching Position
Topic 11: What Does Coach Pennell Think About Memphis?
Closing Comments

Rhodes College 2025 Women's Soccer Program Credits

It's Time to Recognize Those Directly Involved
in the 2025 Women's Soccer Program

December 7, 2025 - It is anticipated there will be more to write here about this season as well as preparations for 2026 but it is time to recognize those directly involved in the 2025 Rhodes College Women's Soccer Program. Our thanks to all and our special admiration and congratulations to the seniors.

Advisory: When you access The 20205 Season page all audio may sound at the same time. Refresh/reload the page and it will behave.
The 2025 Season articles have been moved to their own page. See them here.

Rhodes College Lynx Women's Soccer

lynxwomenssoccer.com

Preview: Rhodes vs. Covenant

Lookout, Here Come the Lynx

Win Over Oglethorpe

Sets Example for Rest of Season

Preview: Rhodes vs. Oglethorpe Lynx Seek Return to Victories

Preview: Rhodes vs. Oglethorpe

Lynx Seek Return to Victories

Berry Beats Lynx Penalty Leads to 1-0 Loss

Berry Beats Lynx

Penalty Leads to 1-0 Loss

Preview: Rhodes vs. Berry

It's Good to be Home

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably Rhodes Takes Maryville 5-1

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably Rhodes Takes Maryville 5-1

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably Rhodes Takes Maryville 5-1

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably Rhodes Takes Maryville 5-1

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably Rhodes Takes Maryville 5-1

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably

Rhodes Takes Maryville 5-1

Preview: Rhodes vs. Maryville

Newcomer Has Early Lead in Conference

Conference Rivals Tangle to TieNeither Rhodes Nor Sewanee Score

Conference Rivals Tangle to TieNeither Rhodes Nor Sewanee Score

Neither Rhodes Nor Sewanee Score

Conference Play Ahead Preview: Rhodes vs. Sewanee

Conference Play Ahead

Preview: Rhodes vs. Sewanee

Schedule Change: No Game Tomorrow Match with Covenant Rescheduled to October

Schedule Change: No Game Tomorrow

Match with Covenant Rescheduled to October

Ella Mullally Conference Offensive Player of the Week Rhodes Players Make Player of the Week Every Week So Far

Ella Mullally Conference Offensive Player of the Week

Rhodes Players Make Player of the Week Every Week So Far

Number One Team Tops Rhodes Unbeaten & Shutout Streak Ends Against WashU

Number One Team Tops Rhodes

Unbeaten & Shutout Streak Ends Against WashU

Preview: Rhodes vs. #1 Team Will Play Washington University Sunday

Preview: Rhodes vs. #1 Team

Will Play Washington University Sunday

Rhodes Edges DePauw Advances To Play #1 WashU at its Tournament

Rhodes Edges DePauw

Advances To Play #1 WashU at its Tournament

Preview: Rhodes vs. DePauwTournament Format Could Lead to Match with #1 Team

Preview: Rhodes vs. DePauw

Tournament Format Could Lead to Match with #1 Team

Five Fine FinishesFive Wins, Five Clean Sheets

Five Fine Finishes

Five Wins, Five Clean Sheets

Annie Cimino Named SAA Defensive Player of the WeekLynx Face 2025 NCSC Conference Champions

Lynx Face 2025 NCSC Conference Champions

Preview: Rhodes vs. BelhavenLynx Face 2025 NCSC Conference Champions

Lynx Face 2025 NCSC Conference Champions

More Competition but Still Comfortable Win for RhodesRhodes Gets Fourth Victory

Rhodes Gets Fourth Victory

Preview: Rhodes Plays Winless Hendrix FridayFirst Night Game for Lynx

First Night Game for Lynx

Lynx Dominate OwlsRhodes 9, Mississippi University for Women 0

Rhodes 9, Mississippi University for Women 0

Hadley Carrington Player of the Week Southern Athletic Association Cites Her Offensive Performance

Southern Athletic Association Cites Her Offensive Performance

Will Good Fortune to Win Continue?Preview: Rhodes vs. Mississippi University for Women

Preview: Rhodes vs. Mississippi University for Women

"We were fortunate to get out of there with a win"

Coach: "One of the Most Complete Games"Rhodes Defeats University of the Ozarks

Rhodes Defeats University of the Ozarks

Pennell’s Perspective #1Head Coach Offers Comments Games

Head Coach Offers Comments Games

University of the Ozarks Here FridayFirst Rhodes Home Game of Season

First Rhodes Home Game of Season

Short Game Gives Rhodes Apparent Season Opener WinHadley Carrington Stars in Game

Hadley Carrington Stars in Game

First 2026 MatchPreview: Westminster vs. Rhodes

Rhodes College
Lynx Women's Soccer

Preview: Rhodes vs. Oglethorpe

Lynx Seek Return to Victories

Berry Beats Lynx

Penalty Leads to 1-0 Loss

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably

Rhodes Takes Maryville 5-1

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably

Rhodes Takes Maryville 5-1

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably

Rhodes Takes Maryville 5-1

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably

Rhodes Takes Maryville 5-1

Season Seventh Win Comes Comfortably

Rhodes Takes Maryville 5-1

Conference Rivals Tangle to Tie
Neither Rhodes Nor Sewanee Score

Conference Rivals Tangle to Tie
Neither Rhodes Nor Sewanee Score

Conference Play Ahead

Preview: Rhodes vs. Sewanee

Schedule Change: No Game Tomorrow

Match with Covenant Rescheduled to October

Ella Mullally Conference Offensive Player of the Week

Rhodes Players Make Player of the Week Every Week So Far

Number One Team Tops Rhodes

Unbeaten & Shutout Streak Ends Against WashU

Preview: Rhodes vs. #1 Team

Will Play Washington University Sunday

Rhodes Edges DePauw

Advances To Play #1 WashU at its Tournament

Preview: Rhodes vs. DePauw
Tournament Format Could Lead to Match with #1 Team

Five Fine Finishes
Five Wins, Five Clean Sheets

Annie Cimino Named SAA Defensive Player of the Week
Lynx Face 2025 NCSC Conference Champions

Preview: Rhodes vs. Belhaven
Lynx Face 2025 NCSC Conference Champions

More Competition but Still Comfortable Win for Rhodes
Rhodes Gets Fourth Victory

Preview: Rhodes Plays Winless Hendrix Friday
First Night Game for Lynx

Lynx Dominate Owls
Rhodes 9, Mississippi University for Women 0

Hadley Carrington Player of the Week

Southern Athletic Association Cites Her Offensive Performance

Pennell’s Perspective #1
Head Coach Offers Comments Games

University of the Ozarks Here Friday
First Rhodes Home Game of Season

Short Game Gives Rhodes Apparent Season Opener Win
Hadley Carrington Stars in Game

First 2026 Match
Preview: Westminster vs. Rhodes

Season Begins Tomorrow
Long Nine Month Wait Will End

Schedule Handout
Offered at Early Home Games

It's Time to Recognize Those Directly Involved
in the 2025 Women's Soccer Program