Goshen College women’s soccer faced a challenging 2025–26 season, marked with multiple injuries that began during the preseason in August. In addition to injuries, the team graduated 10 seniors this year. The Maple Leafs finished their season ranked last in the Crossroads League with an 0-8 conference record and a 1-10-4 overall mark. By the middle of conference play, Justin Crew, head coach of women’s soccer, had only eight healthy players available on the bench, forcing one game to be canceled. On Sept. 13, the Leafs tied 1-1 with the Wolverines of Michigan-Dearborn, with the only goal coming from a...

By Igor Sapucaia • October 30, 2025 • Sports

As winter approaches, Goshen College’s athletics department is seeing an end to many sports seasons, including women’s soccer. With two games left in the season, the team’s overall record stands at 1-9-3, with a conference record of 0-4-3. While the season’s results haven’t turned out the best for the team, there have still been positives to the season. Head coach Justin Crew said, “From a results perspective it hasn’t been great … so that’s obviously been disappointing for everyone, for staff and players alike.”    Amy Drew, a senior on the team, “We’ve definitely had improvements throughout the season,” Isabel...

By Griffin Eash • October 24, 2024 • Sports

Stephen Bandi  Bandi provided two assists in Goshen’s impressive 5-3 win against Indiana Northwest. While Bandi was playing, for the entire first half and the last ten minutes of the second half, the Leafs didn’t concede a single goal.  His assist and defensive contributions in the game against Indiana Northwest helped propel the team to their second consecutive home win.   Makiah McCain  McCain faced 11 shots in the women’s soccer game against Siena Heights, making an astounding 10 saves and keeping the team in the game for 83 of the 90 minutes. The game ended in a 1-1 draw,...

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The women’s soccer team started the season with a perfect 5-0 start, their best since 1997. Following the undefeated start, they lost two and tied two games and had a record of 5-2-2 before entering conference play.  In their opening conference game, the women traveled to Huntington University where they lost 2-0. Both goals for Huntington were scored within a span of 62 seconds. After Wednesday’s 5-0 loss to Marian University, the women’s current record is 5-4-2 on the season. The women’s soccer team faces tough competition in the Crossroads League. Three of the 10 teams are nationally ranked in...

By Emme Boots • September 28, 2023 • Sports

Last year, the Goshen College women’s soccer team ended with a record of 5-12-1. This year, the team hoped to take steps in the right direction. And indeed, they have had an impressive start to their season: the Leafs are currently 5-0, their best start to a season since 1997. This past weekend, they won 3-0 against Carolina University, led by junior Seja Lang who scored twice for the Leafs. Brynja Hjartardottir scored the third goal to secure the win.  “We are all very excited about our potential this season,” freshman Sophia Yoder said. “Our determination and togetherness could take...

By Arleth Martinez • September 8, 2023 • Sports

The Goshen College men’s cross-country team entered the NAIA National Championship race ranked 26th in the nation. “Having experience at nationals, we know that a lot of people go out way too hard,” head coach Rustin Nyce said. “In order to not get caught up in that … we raced smart and patient. We went out fast enough, but everybody else went out faster.”  The race strategy worked well for the Maple Leafs. Between the 1.17 kilometer mark (the first timing checkpoint, where the Leafs sat in 31st position) and the finish line, Goshen’s seven runners combined to pass 581...

By Daniel James • December 1, 2022 • Sports

The Goshen College women’s soccer season came to an end last Saturday, as the Maple Leafs fell, 4-0, to No. 2 Marian in the Crossroads League tournament quarterfinals. After losing to Marian 6-0 just two weeks prior, the Leafs came into the matchup knowing it would be a long road to a win — and the undefeated Knights had no problem breezing past the Maple Leafs once again, as Naomi Walters gathered a hat trick in the opening half-hour. Marian added a penalty kick in the 75th minute, and the Knights now face Taylor in the semifinals. The Leafs ended...

By Daniel James • November 10, 2022 • Sports

The Goshen College women’s soccer team was hit with a killer one-two punch this past week. Playing two of the top four teams in the nation, the Leafs were trounced by a score of 6-0 twice in one week. Goshen fell first to No. 2 Marian University on Saturday, and then last night to No. 4 Spring Arbor University. “[I’m] never happy with a loss,” said Goshen head coach Justin Crew. “But I’m really happy with the effort and the energy.” Crew had strong praise for his players, calling them “focused” and stating that they played “with a sense of...

By Daniel James • October 28, 2022 • Sports

As he enters his fifth year of conference play with the Goshen College women’s soccer team, head coach Justin Crew is adding a new component to the team’s training regimen. “We’ve taken a more intentional approach to the mental side of the game,” Crew said. “We’re actually working with a well-known sports psychologist, Dan Abrahams.” The Dan Abrahams Soccer Academy is an online program meant to improve players’ mental skills and morale. At the start of the year, the team watched Abrahams’ videos and then discussed them together, and goalkeeper Vicky Naylor says that Crew continues to draw on the...

By Daniel James • September 30, 2022 • Sports

A strong weekend for the Goshen College women’s soccer team was capped off by a Labor Day win over the West Virginia University Institute of Technology, as the Maple Leafs handed the Golden Bears a 6-0 drubbing. With goals from six different players — a feat that has not occurred since 2012 — the Leafs took control of the game from the first minute and never relinquished it.  “We have a lot of players that are staying after training, coming before training, so I think this result speaks to them and to what they’re willing to put in outside of...

By Daniel James • September 8, 2022 • Sports

With over 70 international students from 32 countries, the “spot in Indiana where the leafy maple grows” is a gathering spot for students from around the world.  For two Maple Leafs, it fostered an unexpected connection.   Brynja Hjartardottir and Karitas Arnardottir both came to Goshen from Iceland to play on the women’s soccer team. Though the first-years did not know each other back home, they ended up next to each other on the plane ride to the United States and soon formed a bond.    “We talked a bit on Instagram when we knew we had both signed for Goshen and...

By Sarah Miller • February 17, 2022 • Features

On Nov. 6, the Goshen women’s soccer team suffered a season-ending loss to Spring Arbor University (MI), whose team is ranked third in the country. The loss came in the Crossroads League Quarterfinals. This was GC’s second appearance in the conference tournament in three years — and the journey to get there was not easy. The team had to beat Huntington University (IN) in the last regular game of the season to advance to the conference tournament, and they did. Anne Nisley, a senior defender, said, “It really boosted our confidence and gave us a taste of how much hard...

By Graysen Cockerham • November 11, 2021 • Sports

As we welcome November and decreasing temperatures, fall sports at Goshen College have begun to come to a close. However, the women’s soccer team and the men’s and women’s cross country teams are the last ones standing for the Maple Leafs.  The women’s soccer team was able to clinch a Crossroads League tournament spot with their 3-0 shutout win against Huntington on Tuesday afternoon. Head coach Justin Crew said, “It’s been an up and down season, we have had some highs and some lows, however, I believe we continue to move in the right direction as a program.” This is...

By Graysen Cockerham • November 4, 2021 • Sports

Saturday proved to be a day full of celebration and record-setting performances for the Goshen College men’s and women’s soccer teams. Over the Homecoming Weekend, both teams earned shutouts and their first conference wins of the season.  The men’s team played under the lights on Saturday night and topped the University of St. Francis Cougars (IN) 3 to 0 with goals by first-year Lars Razor and seniors Lucas Bontreger and Wendo Kisila.  Bontreger’s insurance goal in the second half was his fifth of the season, tying him with Razor for the team’s leading scorer. Goalkeeper Matias da Fonesca made six...

By Graysen Cockerham • October 7, 2021 • Sports

The 2021 Goshen College women’s soccer team features a slew of international players, far more than years past.    Four upperclassmen from Brazil, a transfer from Hungary, a duo of first-years from Iceland and a pair from England account for nearly 43% of the 21-person roster.   “Our international players bring different life experiences, cultural diversity and a soccer background that is different to our U.S.-based players,” head coach Justin Crew said.   First-year psychology major Amy Drew is among those players. She brings experience all the way from London, where she began playing soccer at just six years old. ...

By Graysen Cockerham • September 9, 2021 • Sports