DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The women's soccer teams from Embry-Riddle and Graceland battled to a 1-1 draw in the final game of the Habitat for Humanity Invitational, Sunday at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Complex. The 14th-ranked Eagles closed out the weekend with a win and a tie to improve to 4-0-1 on the year, while the No. 21 Yellowjackets move to 1-2-2 overall.
The Eagles were the more composed of the two sides to start the contest and, as a result, had the better of the possession in the first half. ERAU held a 7-4 shot advantage in the first 45 minutes with the best chance of the half coming in the 39th minute when
Lauren McCall's attempt from point blank range sailed over the goal. The Yellowjackets' only attempt on frame in the first half was turned back by ERAU goalkeeper
Lauren Gallant, resulting in a scoreless tie at the half.
The Eagles had the first two chances to score of the second half, but it was Graceland that got on the board first when Hana Piepergerdes got the ball inside the box and dribbled around a diving Gallant for a 1-0 Yellowjackets lead.
In a span of 40 seconds, the Eagles had three shots in a row, all from corner kicks, that were saved off the line by Graceland defenders. ERAU, who had a decisive 12-2 advantage in corner kicks in the contest, was finally able to convert one of those set pieces in the 75th minute.
Cecilie Henriksen, who took all 12 ERAU corner kicks, lofted a ball into the box that was met by
Martine Olsen and the sophomore headed home her eighth goal of the season to knot the score at 1-1.
Immediately following the goal, the Eagles found themselves back on their heels as the Yellowjackets raced down the pitch after the kick-off and got a shot off, but Gallant was once again up to the challenge and rose to grab Gisela Arieta's shot, just before it dipped under the bar. Both teams created additional chances to score but neither squad was able to add to its tally, forcing the game to into overtime.
Eight minutes into the first overtime period, the Eagles got in behind the Graceland defense. The Eagle pressure forced the Graceland defense to scramble and yielded an open net for ERAU, but
Valerie Obita's off-balance shot just missed the mark to the left. Both teams had additional looks in the remaining 12 minutes, but neither team could break the deadlock and the game ended in the 1-1 tie.
Gallant finished the game with five saves, while her counterpart, Stefany Castano Cardozo, had six saves in the Graceland effort.
The Eagles will be back in action on Thursday when they travel to Cleveland, Tenn. to participate in the Kicks for Cancer Invitational hosted by three-time defending national champion Lee University. The Eagles will take on No. 2 Lee at 7 p.m. on Thursday and No. 7 William Carey at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
