BATAVIA & BUFFALO, N.Y. — The St. Clair County Community College (SC4) women’s soccer team (4-0 overall) hit the road for the first time in the 2026 season on Thursday and Friday. By the time Saturday rolled around, the Skippers added two more victories, two more shutouts, and a pair of historic moments in both matches against Genesee Community College and Erie Community College.
SC4 downed NJCAA Division III member Genesee CC on Thursday night at GCC’s Turf Field in a 1-0 thriller, which also became the first time in program history that SC4 defeated a nationally-ranked squad. The Cougars were ranked fourth prior to the season by the NJCAA.
The Skippers then blanked Erie CC 8-0 on Friday evening at the ECC Outdoor Sports Complex to complete the back-to-back sweep. The eight-goal triumph tied the largest margin of victory in women’s soccer history at SC4, joining an 8-0 win over Lakeland Community College on October 18, 2024, and an 8-0 victory at Alpena Community College on September 7, 2025.
Also of note, the Skippers have yet to allow a goal four matches into the 2026 season. They have outscored their opponents by a remarkable 16-0 margin. SC4 will have its toughest challenge next, however, as NJCAA Division III powerhouse Delta College comes to Marysville and SC4 Soccer Field at Morton Park on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. Delta won the Division III Women’s Soccer National Championship last season.
AT GENESEE
The Skippers’ lone tally came courtesy of freshman Emily Prado (Imlay City, Mich. / Imlay City) in what was her first collegiate goal. Her goal came off an assist from Libby Noble (Loughborough, England / Loughborough College), which was her third helper of the campaign in just her third game.
From there, the Skippers were able to shut down the Cougars and post their third shutout in a row — all three of which came with freshman Kaylee Backers (Richmond, Mich. / Richmond) between the pipes.
SC4 was also able to hang on for the historic win despite the loss of freshman defender Claira Taylor (Warren, Mich. / Warren Mott) who left the match with an injury.
“Phoebe [Tacker], Cara [Brearley], Lilah [Cron], and Isabella [Payne] locked it down on the defensive side,” said third-year head coach Karic Jones. “The Grace’s [Twiby and Kennedy] led us in the middle. It was a total team effort, from our starting 11 and Payne coming in for Claira when she went down with an injury. Xavier [Pennant] and Oliver [Glenn] stepped in and helped organize the girls after the injury. I cannot say enough about this staff and the girls that returned from last year.”
AT ERIE
The Skippers showed almost no wear on the second half of a back-to-back against the Kats in Buffalo, N.Y., as they controlled play from start to finish to post a convincing 8-0 victory.
Everyone that dressed (all 25 student-athletes) saw playing time for the Skippers. SC4 connected on five goals in the first half, including two in the first 10 minutes, before adding on three more for good measure before the contest was called early due to the mercy rule.
Noble opened the scoring with her second goal of the season in just the fourth minute of action. She added on her second of the match (and third of 2026) to wrap up the first half in the 41st minute. Her second goal was unassisted, while her first was helped by freshman Tessa Freeland (St. Clair, Mich. / St. Clair) for the first assist and point of her collegiate career.
Freshman Lucy Yuen (Hong Kong / Korean International School) made it 2-0 for the guests in the ninth minute with her second goal of 2026, which was assisted by Noble (fourth assist of the campaign).
Freshman forward Kimberly Martin (Yale, Mich. / Yale) found the scoresheet for the first time in her collegiate career during the 31st minute, which was assisted by Yuen (first assist of 2026)
In yet another first for the Skippers, freshman Didi Lloyd (Gillingham, Kent, England / Chatham Town Football Academy) found the back of the net in the 31st minute for her first collegiate goal. The fourth marker of the contest was set up once again by Yuen (second helper of 2026).
Sophomore Grace Kennedy (Middlesbrough, England / St. Michael’s Catholic School) connected on a penalty kick in the 46th minute for her first marker of the season. It was the first goal of the second half for SC4 and upped the score to 6-0.
Freshman Pamela Prado (Imlay City, Mich. / Imlay City) became a collegiate goal scorer for the first time with her tally in the 51st minute to make it 7-0 Skippers. It was set up by Kennedy in her second assist of the year.
The eighth and final tally for SC4 on the evening came in the 57th minute with the second of the match for Lloyd. Sophomore Grace Twiby (Middlesbrough, England / T6) found the scoresheet for the first time on the road trip with the assist — her first of the season in the assists department.
In goal, both Backers and freshman Kaleigh McNamara (Columbus, Mich. / Richmond) saw playing time and teamed up for the fourth-straight shutout. Backers played the first half, while McNamara relieved her teammate in the shortened second half.
“This was a total team effort,” said Head Coach Karic Jones. “We appreciate Erie for having us out, especially the day before a league game for them. It was great to see the squad rotated. It will be back to work the big contest on Tuesday [against Delta]. The more we play, the more we learn about the squad. We have a promising group, and it is going to be up to them to be consistent. However, the coaching staff feels that this is a special group.”
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For media inquiries, please contact Sarah Rutallie, Chief of Staff, SC4, at srutallie@sc4.edu
St Clair County Community College (SC4) was founded in 1923 and is the only public higher education institution in the thumb of Michigan. SC4 is a comprehensive community college that provides certificates and degrees for employable skills and college credits that can be transferred to a four-year college or university. The college provides collegiate arts and athletics for the area and has been an asset for students and the Port Huron community for over one hundred years.
