DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's soccer team closed out its 2017 slate with a 2-1 win over Sunshine State Conference foe Palm Beach Atlantic, Wednesday at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium. The Eagles evened their overall record at 5-5-3 and moved to 3-4-3 in the SSC, while the Sailfish ended their season at 2-9-1 overall and 1-7-1 in league play.
 
Embry-Riddle was the more dominant team throughout the match, outshooting the Sailfish 22-9 with a 10-2 advantage in corner kicks. Guro Naess Berge, who finished with three points by assisting on the go-ahead goal and netting the game-winner, took four shots, as did Ragnheidur Gardarsdottir. Megan Smith, Hanna Rolfsen and Elvira Ramel had three shots apiece.

"We've been waiting all conference season for this team to finish chances and put more shots on target," ERAU Head Coach Samantha Bohon said, "Go figure it happens the last game of the season!  We hit 14 of 22 shots on frame and if it weren't for outstanding play by their goalkeeper, this could have been a 4/5-goal game."
 
Despite a 12-4 shot advantage, the Eagles were scoreless in the first 45 minutes of play. PBAU goalkeeper Isabelle Granlund stopped six Eagle attempts, but she also got some help from the woodwork as Rachel Owens' long-range shot in the 13^th minute bounced off the cross bar and Elizabeth's Allen header went off the post.
 
PBAU's best chance of the half came in the 30^th minute when a corner kick led to a scrum in front of the goal, however, the Eagle defense blocked all three Sailfish attempts before clearing the ball, and at the end of the first half, the score was tied at 0-0.
 
ERAU's first score of the night came less than five minutes into the second half. The Eagles were awarded a penalty kick after the Sailfish were penalized for handling the ball inside the 18-yard box. Granlund saved Naess Berge's initial attempt, but Ramel collected the rebound and tapped in her second goal of the season to give the Blue and Gold a 1-0 lead.
 
Naess Berge made good on her next attempt on goal, staking the Eagles to a two-goal advantage in the 68th minute. After a give-and-go with Rachel Owens down the left flank, Julia Olsson dribbled deep into the box. Her pass across the face of goal was just out of Granlund's reach and Naess Berge took advantage of the open net to slot home her second goal of the year.
 
The two-goal lead was short-lived, however, as Kayla Fisher converted from the penalty spot to make it 2-1 with 20 minutes left to play.
 
Dana Ruchti was put to the test late in the game, but the ERAU freshman had two big saves in the 83^rd and 84^th minutes to help the Eagles secure the win.

"What I'm most proud of tonight is the character this team showed," Bohon stated. "Knowing our postseason hopes were very slim, they still showed up with a lot of heart and effort. Plus, they executed at a high level again tonight.  Coach Ridder brought a passionate pre-game talk and I'm kicking myself for not recruiting him sooner!  I'll say it again- this is an extremely talented team and it's a shame we couldn't get the results we needed to extend our season into the conference tournament. But tonight, they made our program proud by their performance and heart.

"A special thanks goes out to seniors Hanna Rolfsen and Helena Hansson. They've been big-time players for us on the field and carry themselves off the field with the same high standard. We will miss them."