The Holy Cross women’s soccer team will travel 45 minutes southeast this Wednesday night for an out-of-conference match against Goshen College. 0-3 to start the year, the Saints have shown potential as they work out early-season growing pains.
Holy Cross will have to be on their A-game as they go up against a 1-0-2 Goshen side that started their season with a 2-1 win vs Lawrence Tech before drawing on level terms with perennial CCAC Championship contender Olivet Nazarene as well as Indiana University Northwest.
The Saints, meanwhile, have yet to record a goal this season. The team has lost their last two matches against Northwestern Ohio and Bethel 2-0 after having been defeated by Marian 3-0 in their season opener.
If Holy Cross is to get back on track, they’ll have to rely upon their highly-touted forward, junior Miriam Iturriaga-Sanchez. The goal-scoring machine tucked the ball away 12 times last year, one of the best records in the CCAC. The Saints will need to find a way to feed Iturriaga-Sanchez the ball, especially as they go up against a stingy Goshen defense.
Iturriaga-Sanchez is not the only high-caliber player that Holy Cross returns from last year. Freshman defender Abigail Fouts and senior midfielder Neyda Macias were named first and second team All-Conference, respectively. Fouts tallied four games from the backline and helped propel Holy Cross to 8 wins in 2024. Macias, on the other hand, showcased her technical ability in the midfield. A superb ball handler, Macias provides a spark of creativity that Holy Cross will surely utilize against Goshen.
Holy Cross will also need some newer names to rise to the occasion as they seek their first win of the year. One of those names is freshman goalkeeper Janiah Juarez. A former star at nearby Penn High School, Juarez picked up the nickname “Ice Cube” for her cool nature in between the posts. Assuming the goalkeeper role from Madeline Agee, a former Gateway student who has since joined the Notre Dame women’s soccer team, Juarez had big shoes to fill. So far, Juarez has lived up to the expectations placed upon her.
Juarez has made several big saves through the first three games of the year. The Saints will need her to step up big once again on Wednesday night.
Following the match, Holy Cross will enjoy a nine day rest before their forthcoming match. If there’s one thing that’s for certain, head coach Duma Magagula will have his team to battle hard as they always do.
The livestream for Wednesday’s match can be found on Goshen College’s athletic website, goleafs.net.
