NAIA #2 Embry-Riddle (12-1, 6-0) vs.Thomas (9-5, 5-1)
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014
CITY: Thomasville, Ga.
SITE: Night Hawk Field
START: 3 p.m.

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LIVE STATS: Stretch Internet
TWITTER: @ERAUWSoccer
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THE EAGLES
The second-ranked Eagles are returning to Sun Conference play on Saturday following their 2-1 win over Lindsey Wilson on Wednesday. Embry-Riddle is now 12-1 overall and 6-0 in conference play, and is in the top spot in the league's North Division with Thomas.
 
The Eagles got on the board first in Wednesday's game. At the 9:18 mark, Katherine Ebbs was fouled at the midfield stripe. Ebbs made her way up the field toward the 18-yard box and was in position to deliver a flick-on header to Isabelle Haaranen who settled the ball with one touch and maneuvered around a LWC defender with next before depositing her ninth goal of the year into the upper 90 for a 1-0 Eagle lead, which they took into the halftime break.
 
With 20 minutes left in regulation, the Blue Raiders were awarded a corner kick. ERAU goalkeeper Olivia Lynch came off her line to punch out Bettina Bruhlhart's offering, but the ball didn't clear the box and after a brief scramble in the penalty area, Karin Bernet slipped a shot into the lower left corner to draw Lindsey Wilson level at 1-1.
 
In the aftermath of the Lindsey Wilson goal, the Eagles stepped up their pressure on the offense, keeping the Blue Raiders pinned in their half of the pitch for much of the possession. The Blue and Gold's persistence finally paid off in the 80th minute. The play started in the back with Helena Hansson who, despite strong pressure from the LWC side, kept her dribble and managed to get off a pass as she went to ground, releasing Andrea Frøshaug on the left side. Frøshaug, who had made several dangerous runs down the flanks throughout the contest, received the ball behind the Lindsey Wilson defense and sped unimpeded into the box where she beat LWC keeper Johanna Henriksson for the game-winning goal.
 
Frøshaug, the Eagles' leading scorer, has 30 points on 13 goals and four assists. Haaranen is next with 22 points (9G, 4 A), while Annie Gelnaw (6G, 4 A) and Katherine Ebbs (5G, 6A) have 16 points each.
 
THE NIGHT HAWKS
Julie Orlowski is in her second season as the Thomas women's soccer head coach. Last season, the Night Hawks finished second in The Sun Conference North Division at 7-2 and were 11-6 overall. Thomas is 9-5 overall and 5-1 in league play heading into Saturday's game. The Night Hawks suffered their first conference loss of 2014 on Oct. 12 when they dropped a 2-0 decision to SCAD Savannah.
 
With 11 goals on the year, Jenny Hernandez is pacing a Thomas offense that ranks 23^rd in the NAIA in total goals (38) and 27^th in the total assists (26). Mackenzie Dolan has eight goals, including a game-high three game-winners.
 
THE SERIES
The Eagles and the Night Hawks have done battle on seven previous occasions. The Eagles lead the all-time series 6-0-1, including a 4-2 decision on Oct. 26, 2013.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
On Oct. 26, 2013, the Embry-Riddle women's soccer team celebrated Senior Day with a 4-2 win over Thomas at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium.
 
The Eagles wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, registering their first goal of the game on their first possession just 1:42 into the game. Isabelle Haaranen collected the ball and dribbled down the right side. She squared a short pass to Valerie Obita who registered her 14th goal of the year to put the Eagles up 1-0 early.
 
The Night Hawks responded less than three minutes later by netting their first goal of the night when Emma Hewett collected a pass from Alyssa Denton and chipped ERAU goalkeeper Olivia Lynch to level the score at 1-1.
 
In the 11th minute, Katherine Ebbs played a ball from the midfield out to Haaranen on the right. Haaranen raced down the right flank and this time took the ball into the box herself. Thomas goalkeeper Deanna Rivet came off her line to bother Haaranen's shot but couldn't hold on to the ball. Gudrun Johnson then attempted a back-heel shot, but it only went as far as a Thomas defender who touched the ball into Obita's path and the senior deposited the ball in the upper netting to reclaim the lead for the Blue and Gold.
 
After the early flurry of goals, both teams settled into more of a possession game for the rest of the half. The Eagles had an 8-4 advantage in shots and a 4-3 edge in shots on goal, including a Haaranen shot from point-blank range, but Rivet up with a big save to keep the Eagles from adding to their tally. Lynch also turned back a couple of Thomas shots and, as a result, the score remained 2-1 at the intermission.
 
The start of the second half saw the Eagles have the better of the offense, while the ERAU defense limited the Night Hawks to just two shots in the frame. With just under 12 minutes left in regulation, the Eagles broke through for their third goal of the night. Obita's cross went across the face of the goal toward the far post. A Thomas defender was able to bring the ball down but pushed it into the path of Martine Olsen who took a couple of touches to move the ball onto her left foot and slipped a shot under a diving Rivet to extend the Eagle lead to 3-1.
 
Moments later, Olsen returned the favor. Playing in the Eagles' defensive half, Olsen seized an opportunity to get in behind a high Thomas defense and released Obita with a ball from the midfield, putting her in a one-v-one situation with Rivet. Obita won the battle and completed the hat trick on her eighth shot of the night to make the score 4-1 in the 80 minute.
 
With under four minutes left, the Night Hawks managed to capitalize on the Eagles inability to clear the ball out of danger as Hewett found Hannah Claesson for the final goal of the night.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
The Eagles, who started the season as the sixth-ranked team in the nation, maintained their No. 2 ranking for the second straight week according to the latest NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 poll, which was released on Oct. 14.
 
Cumberland (Tenn.) is in the top spot, while Concordia (Ore.), William Carey and Concordia (Calif.) round out the top five.
 
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
The Embry-Riddle women's soccer team currently stands as one of the most prolific offensive teams in the NAIA. The Eagles are second in the nation in goals per game (5.0), and assists per game (3.91) and rank in the top 10 nationally in total goals (3rd, 60), total assists (4^th, 45) and shots per game (9^th, 20.54).
 
Individually, Andrea Frøshaug ranks 19th in points per game (2.50) and in goals per game (1.08)
 
EMBRY-RIDDLE BY THE NUMBERS
204–All-time wins by Embry-Riddle
114–Wins in conference play
105–Wins by eighth-year Head Coach Samantha Bohon
17–Seasons of Embry-Riddle Women's Soccer
13–NAIA National Tournament Appearances
9–Home contests for the Eagles this season, including four TSC games
3–NAIA National Quarterfinal Appearances
2–Current rank for ERAU Women's Soccer in NAIA Preseason Top 25 poll