| For
more on the Rhodes College Women's Soccer program including full
schedule, statistics, player profiles, and news, please visit RhodesLynx.com |
Recent postings: ... Preview: Rhodes vs. MUW ... Lynx Defeat University of the Ozarks ... Pennell's Perspective #1 ... Ozark Eagles Here Friday ... Season Opens With Win ... Preview: Westminster vs. Rhodes ... Season Begins Tomorrow ... Schedule Handout ... 1st preseason scrimmage missed ... Preseason Poll Rankings ... All Academic Team Honors ... Part Time Assistant Coaches Added
2026 Record: Overall: 2-0-0 — Conference: 0-0-0 2026 Match Schedule
Campus Map to Soccer Field
2026 Record: Overall: 2-0-0 — Conference: 0-0-0
Editor’s Note
— To all the members of the 2025 Women’s Soccer Team, especially to
those who are members of the Rhodes College graduating Class of
2026 as you take the next major step in your journey, please let me
borrow a line from a favorite movie and adopt it as
my own: “My prayer for you is that God blesses you in this life.” (From
the movie: Remember the Goal) Thank you for your dedication to your studies and to your sport.
(By the way, Remember the Goal is a good movie about a coach and her girls' high school cross country team, well worth viewing in this writer's opinion.)
For New Readers of This Site
The 2026 season is here and there may be a number of people new to this site. Just so you'll know:
My name is Ken.
I admit I don't know a nearly enough about soccer but I especially enjoy watching Rhodes College Women's Soccer. I think others would, too.
For more about why I created this site, go to its ABOUT page.
Thank you for viewing these web pages and, I hope, supporting Rhodes College Women's Soccer.
ken@lynxwomenssoccer.com
My name is Ken.
I admit I don't know a nearly enough about soccer but I especially enjoy watching Rhodes College Women's Soccer. I think others would, too.
For more about why I created this site, go to its ABOUT page.
Thank you for viewing these web pages and, I hope, supporting Rhodes College Women's Soccer.
ken@lynxwomenssoccer.com
Will Good Fortune to Win Continue?Preview: Rhodes vs. Mississippi University for Women
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"
Last year, the Owls overall record was 1-13-4 and in the. St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) it was 0-6-2.
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 6 mph. Heat advisory in effect.
Next Game: 4 p.m. September 8, vs. Mississippi University for Women at Rhodes College.
[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.]
[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
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.
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: 4 p.m. September 8, vs. Mississippi University for Women at Rhodes College.
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.
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: 4 p.m. September 8, vs. Mississippi University for Women at Rhodes College.
Pennell’s Perspective #1Head Coach Offers Comments Games
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: 4 p.m. September 8, vs. Mississippi University for Women at Rhodes College.
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: 4 p.m. September 8, vs. Mississippi University for Women at Rhodes College.
University of the Ozarks Here FridayFirst 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.First Rhodes Home Game of Season
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: 4 p.m. September 8, vs. Mississippi University for Women at Rhodes College.
Short Game Gives Rhodes Apparent Season Opener WinHadley Carrington Stars in Game
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: 4 p.m. September 8, vs. Mississippi University for Women at Rhodes College.
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: 4 p.m. September 8, vs. Mississippi University for Women at Rhodes College.
First 2026 MatchPreview: Westminster vs. Rhodes
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 Mattie 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 links ranked 35th in the nation in Division Three Women’s soccer, according to the NCAA Power Index in 2025.
Pe
nnell 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: 4 p.m. September 8, vs. Mississippi University for Women at Rhodes College.
Season Begins TomorrowLong Nine Month Wait Will End
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: 4 p.m. September 8, vs. Mississippi University for Women at Rhodes College.
Schedule HandoutOffered at Early Home Games
Offered at Early Home Games
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. 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.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
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 24, 2026 [Updated August 25, 2026] - This writer missed the Rhodes College first scrimmage game so there is no report on it.
August 24, 2026 [Updated August 25, 2026] - This writer missed the Rhodes College first scrimmage game so there is no report on it.
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: 4 p.m. September 8, vs. Mississippi University for Women at Rhodes College.
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:
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.
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: 4 p.m. September 8, vs. Mississippi University for Women at Rhodes College.
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: 4 p.m. September 8, vs. Mississippi University for Women at Rhodes College.
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:
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.
[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.]
Update April 11, 2026: snapshots from the Spring Scrimmages have now been posted 
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. 
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.]
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.