WILKES-BARRE, PA (October 25, 2025) --The King's College women's soccer team returned to McCarthy Stadium on Saturday evening for a MAC Freedom matchup against DeSales University, falling 2-0 in a hard-fought contest. With the result, King's moved to 5-9-2 overall and 1-3-1 in MAC Freedom play. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs improved to 4-8-2Â overall and 2-3 in the conference.
Before kickoff, the Monarchs were joined on the field for pregame introductions by athletes from Lackawanna County Special Olympics as part of Special Olympics Night, celebrating inclusion and community through sport.
The Bulldogs struck early, finding the back of the net in the second minute of play to take a 1-0 lead.
Despite the early deficit, the Monarchs responded with a flurry of offensive pressure. Over a five-minute stretch midway through the first half, Jenna Waldbillig, Mackenzie Seeley, and Mackenzie Huffer each registered shots, with Seeley forcing the DeSales goalkeeper to make a leaping save on a free kick earmarked for the woodwork in the 11th minute.
King's continued to press, outshooting the Bulldogs 9-5 in the opening half and earning a corner kick in the 34th minute. Courtney Monard made three first-half saves to keep the Monarchs within striking distance.
The second half saw more back-and-forth action, with King's generating several quality chances. Caitlin Kirk and Olivia Bauer each had shots that narrowly missed the target, while Madison Jellema and Amelia Sarni forced additional saves from the DeSales keeper. Despite the offensive pressure from the Monarchs, the Bulldogs doubled their lead in the 58th minute to make it 2-0.
Monard continued her strong play in net, finishing with five saves on the night, including a save from point-blank range in the 82nd minute to deny a DeSales scoring bid. Offensively, Waldbillig and Jellema led the Monarchs with three shots each, while Seeley added two.
Both teams finished the match level with 14 shots apiece, with DeSales getting a slight edge in shots on goal with seven to the Monarchs' five. The Bulldogs were awarded seven corners while King's received two.
The Monarchs return to the pitch on Wednesday, October 29 as they travel to Lebanon Valley College to face the Flying Dutchmen in a MAC Freedom contest at 4:00 PM.
-- MONARCHS --
