COLUMBUS, Ga. – The Embry-Riddle women's soccer team fell victim to a late penalty kick in the final day of the CSU Collegiate Invitational hosted by Columbus State on Sunday. The Blue and Gold gave up the penalty with 22 seconds left in regulation to give Montevallo a 1-0 victory in the neutral site game played at the Walden Soccer Complex.
 
The Eagles had the better of the possession and the offense to start the contest. They bested the Falcons 4-1 in shots, including a header from close range that was corralled by Falcon goalkeeper Judith Perez-Bayon. However, as the half progressed, the momentum shifted in Montevallo's favor and at the end of a scoreless first half, the Falcons held a 6-5 edge in shot attempts.
 
The start of the second half saw the Falcons continue pressure the Eagle defense with four unanswered shots in the first 13 minutes, including a free kick inside the box that the Eagles managed to keep out of the net.
 
The Eagles created several chances of their own, but late in the game Allye Darnell got in behind the ERAU defense and was fouled as she ran into the box. Medhali Hernandez converted on the resulting penalty kick to give the Falcons the win.
 
"Obviously we are extremely disappointed that we didn't win today," ERAU Head Coach Samantha Bohon said. "In the opening 25-30 minutes when we had the run of play, we needed to put one or two away and make our day a little easier. We knew it was going to be a dogfight at halftime, and we just came up on the short end. It's really unfortunate as we leave here not feeling like we've played to our ability. It will be a great week to see how our group responds early in the season."
 
The Eagles will look to rebound on Friday when they host Flagler in the first home game of the season. Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m. at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium.