The Kent Roosevelt girls soccer team celebrates a goal during a 2-1 win over Wadsworth last week.
Robin Golden/Special to Portage Sports

By Roger Gordon

Correspondent

The Kent Roosevelt girls soccer team is aiming to better its 2025 district-finals appearance this season.

The Rough Riders are off to a fine start in achieving that goal.

They are 10-0 on the season and have outscored their opponents 65-5 combined.

Head coach Sammy Spicer is admittedly surprised with her team’s hot start.

“I think any coach would be surprised to be 10-0, just watching those wins stack up, especially against some really great teams,” she said. “Knowing that the girls on the team can handle any sort of pressure that comes their way. Just being able to be on or just fight through some of those really gritty wins and being able to find a way. I don’t think anybody expects to be 10-0. You’re just kind of always anticipating, ‘Is this actually happening?’ The girls every day show up and surprise me, so, yeah, it’s a surprise, but it’s a really great group to happen to.”

Kent Roosevelt had a 2-1 close shave on Sept. 19 at home over Wadsworth, a game that was scoreless at halftime.

“Wadsworth,” said Spicer, “is definitely up there in terms of really great teams we get to play.”

Senior forward Audrey Haines scored both of the Rough Riders’ goals, both of which were assisted by sophomore midfielder Sammi Maccarone.

Haines’ first goal gave the home team a 1-0 lead about midway through the second half.

Maccarone placed a beautiful corner kick across the top of the box, and Haines outjumped her defender and was able to head the ball across the back of the net right past the goalkeeper. The Grizzlies turned around and tied the score less than 2 minutes later.

Haines’ winning goal came with less than 2 minutes to go in the game.

“Sammi found a gap in Wadsworth’s defense and played a long ball into their attacking third,” the coach said. “Audrey took off right at the appropriate time and was able to get one-vs.-one with the keeper and slotted the ball right past her.”

Kent Roosevelt junior goalkeeper Grace Schoenberger had 11 saves.

“Grace had an incredible game, Spicer said. “She actually saved us a couple times when Wadsworth could’ve gone up on us 1-0 and 2-1.”

Spicer is more than aware that her squad has a huge game coming up on Sept. 29 at home against Metro Athletic Conference rival Streetsboro that likely will have serious implications when it comes to the conference standings.

“Streetsboro will be a highly competitive game,” she said. “I’d like to finish the MAC with the same stride that we’ve been going. And we have some of our better non-conference opponents coming up as well that will kind of steer us into our postseason seeding. Obviously, we want to come out and keep doing what we’re doing, but I’d say this is the toughest part of our schedule right now.”