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On Sept. 21, the Case Western Reserve University women’s soccer team honored their five graduating fourth-years—Carolyn Koutures, Katie Rishel, Abigail Meneses, Montgomarie Essex and Sydney Schenk—during Senior Day festivities.
Over their collegiate careers, they have made three NCAA Division III tournament appearances and reached the national championship in 2022, finishing runner-up to Johns Hopkins University. Their class has compiled a 55-5-10 (.857) record over the last four seasons, the most wins and the second-best four-year winning percentage in program history.
Carolyn Koutures
Fourth-year co-captain and forward Carolyn Koutures began playing soccer at the age of four. As a first-year at CWRU, Koutures was one of eight newcomers to the team. In her debut season, she scored 2 goals and logged 512 minutes of play. To date, Koutures has tallied 12 goals and 5 assists for the Spartans, amassing a total of 2,754 minutes on the field.
“It has definitely been a rollercoaster with all the changes that have happened over the past four years, but I have loved it,” Koutures said. “This team has become my family and this program has had so much success, which is rewarding to be a part of.”
Off the field, Koutures has distinguished herself academically. In her third year, she earned UAA All-Academic Honors, was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team and was inducted into the CWRU Van Horn Society, which honors student athletes with a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher who are in their third year or later at CWRU. Koutures will be graduating in the spring with a degree in biochemistry.
“It’s a range of emotions,” Koutures said. “It is really fun to be an upperclassman and to get to continue all the traditions we have developed throughout the years, but it is also crazy to think that this season is the last of everything.”
Koutures was recently elected as one of three team captains by her teammates this season. Third-year forward Maggie Farra is thrilled to have Koutures in this leadership role and values her ability to bring energy to the practices and games.
“Carol has always brought so much energy and fun to this team,” Farra said. “She’s always been a great role model and this year she’s really started bringing the team together to help us play better on the field and be better teammates off the field.”
Head Coach Alyssa Johnson values Koutures’ leadership skills and her consistency on and off the field.
“From day one Carol has shown that she’s been somebody who can lead this program,” Johnson said. “She’s stepped into [the captain] position and has excelled at being somebody who I know that I can rely on as well as who the team can rely on.”
Katie Rishel
Fourth-year co-captain and outside back Katie Rishel has been a key member of the CWRU women’s soccer team for the past three seasons. She played a crucial role in her second year, starting all 22 games, and continued that streak by starting all 18 games in her third year. To date, Rishel has started every game so far this season and has logged 4,483 minutes on the pitch.
“Every year my role has changed and I’ve learned so much throughout the years,” Rishel said. “Freshman year I only subbed in a handful of games. My sophomore year I was the newbie in the backline with three captains, two of which were fifth years. Then junior and this year I’ve had to step up as a leader on the backline. In all of these roles I’ve strived to make a difference on and off the field.”
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Rishel attended Pine-Richland High School, where she was a four-year varsity player for the Rams. Throughout her high school career, she earned several accolades, such as the All-Section Honors as a third-year and fourth-year and even served as a co-captain in her senior year. At CWRU, Rishel is pursuing a degree in nutritional biochemistry and metabolism and is set to graduate early in the fall.
Rishel was recently elected team captain alongside Koutures and third-year midfielder Mackenzie Mueller by her teammates. Mueller appreciates Rishel’s leadership qualities and feels honored to serve as a captain alongside her.
“She leads by example and is always setting the tone,” Mueller said. “As a captain, she is incredibly responsible and attentive which has been a huge help in getting me accustomed to the role as well. She leads the team with a clear sense of purpose, always staying focused on what truly matters.”
Johnson respects Rishel’s leadership skills and is pleased to have such an experienced player on the field to guide and support the team.
“You know that you can just rely on her and trust her,” Johnson said. “Her experience on the field, her maturity, her calmness in situations … I think that shows, and I know people feel comfortable communicating with her.”
Montgomarie Essex
Fourth-year center back Montgomarie Essex, best known by her friends and family as Mumps, has been with the Spartans for the past three seasons.
“Through my time at Case, I have made some of the best memories,” Essex said. “If I could do it all over again, I would do so in a heartbeat and I wouldn’t change a single thing.”
At CWRU, Essex earned both the UAA All-Academic Recognition and UAA All-Academic Honors in her second and third year and was inducted into the CWRU Van Horn Society in her third year. She will graduate in the spring with a degree in computer science.
In addition to being a varsity athlete and a STEM major, Essex is actively involved in various campus activities. She serves as president of Theta Tau, the professional engineering fraternity, and as a peer advisor for the Case School of Engineering, through which she provides guidance to students planning to major or minor in engineering.
“I joined [Theta Tau] for the community aspect, wanting to expand my network of friends outside of the soccer team and in a similar major to myself,” Essex said. “And I know how important it is to have someone who understands what you’ve been through and I wanted to offer my experience to everyone else [as a peer tutor].”
Reflecting on the past four years, Essex is proud to have been a part of the women’s soccer team at CWRU.
“In some ways, it’s obviously super sad, especially to be leaving CWRU women’s soccer, but in other ways, I know I won’t totally leave it behind,” Essex said. “Sometimes I do think about how I never expected to be here and so I can only be proud of myself for all the blood, sweat and tears, as well as time, commitment and energy I put into this sport.”
Abigail Meneses
Fourth-year holding midfielder Abigail Meneses has been an integral part of this Spartan team. In her debut season, she was one of just nine players to participate in all 20 games. She built on that success by appearing in 17 games during her second year, making nine starts, and playing in 15 games as a third-year. So far, Meneses has competed in 63 games for the Spartans, accumulating a total of 3,390 minutes on the field.
“It truly has not started to fully hit me yet,” Meneses said. “Aside from Senior Day, I have not processed that I am a senior, and I know that it will hit me like a truck once we finish out the season and eventually graduate. But until then, the tears will be saved.”
The Commack, New York native has received UAA All-Academic Honors in her second and third year and was inducted into the CWRU Van Horn Society in her third year. Meneses will be graduating in the spring with a degree in biology.
“I always knew that I wanted to pursue medicine in my future,” Meneses said. “I am very grateful that I chose biology because I was able to get through my classes fairly quickly throughout my four years, but it offered me a lot of ‘extra time’ to pursue other minors including chemistry, psychology, economics and childhood studies.”
On top of being a varsity soccer player and a pre-med student, Meneses is also a part of Phi Delta Epsilon, a premedical fraternity at CWRU.
“I joined [PhiDE] to have another family that could provide me that support when it comes to my academics,” Meneses said. “By being surrounded by a group of people that have very similar goals, I stay motivated and I am also comforted knowing that there are always people to rely on when I am at a loss for the next steps I should take.”
Third-year midfielder Jamie Goldfarb has loved sharing the field with Meneses the past three seasons and is appreciative of her calming presence and empathetic personality.
“Abby is extremely empathetic and understanding and I’ve always felt supported by her,” Goldfarb said. “She brings a calming presence to the team. I think a lot of us can freak out but she is someone I turn to when things aren’t going great because she always seems to keep her cool and have it together.”
Sydney Schenk
Fourth-year midfielder Sydney Schenk has been a pivotal player for the Spartans. During her first season on the team, she contributed 8 assists and 2 goals and earned the title of UAA Offensive Player of the Week. To date, Schenk has recorded 7 goals and 12 assists while logging 1,921 minutes on the field for the Spartans.
“If you told pre-freshman me what my on-field career would look like at CWRU, she probably wouldn’t believe you,” Schenk said.
Schenk has accumulated many academic achievements at CWRU, including UAA All-Academic Recognition and UAA All-Academic Honors in her second and third year and was inducted into the CWRU Van Horn Society. Schenk will be graduating in the spring with a degree in mechanical engineering.
Outside of the locker room, Schenk serves as vice president, co-founder and campus captain of CWRU’s chapter of The Hidden Opponent, a national nonprofit focused on supporting mental wellness among athletes and reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness in sports.
“I co-founded the chapter with three other student-athletes at CWRU my sophomore year after a rough summer mentally,” Schenk said. “The program gave me the strength to get through my challenges while raising awareness and advocating for my peers.”
Johnson admires Schenk’s positive attitude and joyful perspective on both the game and life.
“Syd laughs more than anybody on the team,” Johnson said. “And it’s hard not to smile and laugh when Syd is having a good time. I love the energy that she brings and I think she has really flourished in the role that she has with this program both on and off the field.”
Third-year outside back Emma Struck, a longtime friend and teammate of Schenk, is grateful to have played alongside Schenk and values the friendship they share.
“My whole soccer career Syd has been such a guiding light and strong sense of support,” Struck said. “I have always been so honored to share the field with her and lucky to have her by my side. She is the glue of every team that she is on because of her presence and energy on and off the field.”
As a newcomer to the program, Johnson is extremely thankful for the senior class and their openness to embracing her style of play and leadership.
“What I have absolutely loved from this class is, from day one, they were asking what they could do to support this team,” Johnson said. “And I think that is something that I have never really experienced with any program I’ve been a part of. We’ve relied a lot on each of them to be leaders in their own right, and I think they’ve welcomed that really well. They deserve all the credit because our transition here would not have been as easy if it wasn’t for what all five of them are doing.”
Disclaimer: Ellie Palaian is a first-year on the women’s soccer team.
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