MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's soccer team traveled to Melbourne to play Florida Tech on Saturday, and after a one-hour weather delay and 110 minutes of action, neither team was able to record a goal, resulting in a scoreless tie. The Eagles are now 6-3-1 on the year, while the Panthers stand at 7-3-1.
Both ERAU and FIT were closely matched on the field and on the score sheet. The Panthers had a 13-12 edge in shots and a 6-5 edge in corner kicks, but both teams finished the night with five saves and five shots on frame apiece.
Embry-Riddle had the first chance to get on the board early in the contest off the boot of
Andrea Froshaug, but her shot was collected by FIT goalkeeper Julia Kantor. The Panthers were able to take some shots on frame from long range, but ERAU goalie
Olivia Lynch easily stopped those attempts.
With 1:13 left in the first frame, the Panthers won a corner kick, which was well defended by the Eagles. The Blue and Gold immediately turned offense into defense as a long ball played out to Froshaug on the run resulted in the Eagles' most dangerous chance of the half. Froshaug raced past the last defender toward goal, catching FIT netminder Julia Kantor back-pedaling. Froshaug got a low shot off, but Kantor managed a last-minute, fingertip save and that play ended the half with a scoreless draw between both teams.
The second half featured more opportunities to score from both sides, including a pair of strikes by Froshaug and a few shots on frame by the Panthers, which were corralled by Lynch. But neither side was able to find the back of the net, resulting in bonus play.
In the first overtime period, Froshaug found
Isabelle Haaranen racing down the right side of the pitch. Haaranen carried the ball into the box before hitting a low strike on target, but Kantor was able to get a foot on the ball and push it away from the goal.
Playing on tired legs and on a slippery, muddy surface, both sides continued to work hard in the final 10 minutes of overtime, but neither team was able to break the deadlock and the game ended 0-0.
"Dustin is doing a great job with his team, and tonight was a really fun match-up between two teams trying to play good soccer," ERAU Head Coach
Samantha Bohon said. "I thought we started a bit slow in the first half, but did a better job after the first 15-20 minutes. We knew this game wouldn't offer many chances for either side, and we just couldn't capitalize on the good looks we were able to create. I have to give credit to their keeper for making a spectacular kick save in the first overtime period. I thought it was going in. Overall, we worked hard and will look to build on this game for our match-up on Wednesday against Florida Southern."
The Eagles will be back at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium on Wednesday to host Florida Southern. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
