Building Momentum: Oglethorpe Women’s Soccer Flourishes Under Coach King
- Chloe Clemensen
- Sep 26
- 3 min read
BROOKHAVEN, Ga. - Oglethorpe University’s women’s soccer team kicked off their
2025 season to a 5-0 start, then received their first loss last night at No.2 Emory. 2025 has been one of Oglethorpe’s best seasons in recent years, showing continued improvement under head coach Rob King.
“In preseason a lot of us came in very fit and we were able to start at a higher level compared to the past years,” junior defender Ana Williams said. “Even though preseason was very hard on all of our bodies with practicing twice a day 6 times a week, everyone always brought their 100% and we were all able to compete well at every practice session.”
In Coach King’s fourth season at Oglethorpe the Stormy Petrels have taken down Agnes Scott, Covenant, Piedmont, LaGrange, and Huntingdon. The latter three were shutouts thanks to a stellar defense, led by senior goalkeeper Katherine “Katie” Crim and Ana Williams. The Huntingdon game was a 6-0 home win highlighted by junior Evan Thomas’ back-to-back goals in the final minute of the game. Crim has made 21 saves so far this season, six of which were against Piedmont, and holds a .840 save percentage. Only five goals have been scored against Oglethorpe so far.
On offense; star senior Harlow Cregar leads with four goals and five assists, followed by junior Delaney Hanks with three goals. The Petrels average 2.67 goals per game.
“This year's team really WANTS it,” Williams stated. “In the past we have always wanted it, but it seems like this year it's to a whole other level. A lot of us have been teammates for 2-3 years so we've finally had some time to get our groove going and really connect.”
Oglethorpe will be graduating five seniors this season: Crim, Grace Elsevier, Allyssa Hearn, Kate Parker, and Cregar. The Petrels have typically been a younger team in the past, and this year they’ve welcomed five freshmen.
"Coach King has raised the expectations for our team this year,” Williams added. “He is very disciplined towards us during practice which allows us to flourish during games, which we all love to see.”
The present season is Oglethorpe’s strongest beginning since going 7-0 in 2019, before Coach King arrived. Oglethorpe was ranked 7 th in the Southern Athletic Association conference preseason poll, but currently stands at No.3 as the only member with no ties on record.
Emory is a consistent opponent for Oglethorpe’s men’s and women’s teams, as two of the oldest, longest running collegiate soccer programs in the state. The cross-town rival birds are typically one of the most difficult matches of the season, especially this year with the Eagles ranked 2nd in the nation. Despite the pressure, Crim made 11 saves out 14 shots from Emory. The Petrels kept the Eagles at bay for the entire first period, but Emory scored their first goal in the 50th minute. A few minutes later freshman Myleigh Oglesby found a shot on goal, but it was saved by Emory’s Sophia Garcia. The Eagles went on to score two more goals and tarnish Oglethorpe’s perfect record.
Coming up, the Stormy Petrels host Talladega College on Friday, September 26th then travel to Brevard College on Monday the 29th. Oglethorpe’s record against Talladega is 2-2, with a 3-0 loss last season. Their record against Brevard is 1-1, with the most recent matchup being a 2-1 win in 2018.
Conference play begins on October 3rd at home against Trinity, a newcomer to the SAA.
“I am most excited for conference play and seeing how we rank considering that our preseason SAA ranking was 2nd to last. I think we are going to shock a lot of teams this year and give them a run for their money because of how much we WANT it this year,” Williams stated.
More information on Oglethorpe’s women’s soccer team is available here:
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