DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's soccer team opened Sunshine State Conference play with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Saint Leo (1-4-1, 0-1), Sunday at the ERAU Soccer Stadium. Rainy conditions did not dampen the enthusiasm of the fans who were in attendance to watch an exciting battle on Sunday as the Eagles improved their record to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in league play.
The Eagles found themselves at a disadvantage early when
Ragnheidur Gardarsdottir received a red card in the 16
th minute. Despite being down a player, the Eagles took the game to the Lions besting them 6-1 in shots and 3-1 in corner kick opportunities.
One of the best chances of the first half for ERAU came late in the frame when Saint Leo goalkeeper Maitane Bravo pulled in
Alma Olesen's attempt from inside the six-yard box. That was the final shot of the half for both sides, resulting in a scoreless draw at halftime
Coming out of the break, the Eagles, though down a player, had the better of the offense. Saint Leo improved on its shot total with five in the second half, but it was the Eagles who created to more dangerous chances, including a shot by
Savanna Sheahan from about 40 yards away that elicited a fingertip save from Bravo as it flew toward the upper 90.
The Eagles finally got the breakthrough they were looking for on a set piece in the 78th minute.
Isabelle Navren took the ball down the field to the end line before playing it off a Saint Leo defender to win a corner kick. Navren took the set piece herself and lifted a cross into the box where
Hattie Kettle rose above the Lion defense to head home the first goal of her collegiate career.
The Lions were awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area with 40 seconds left in regulation, but Nina Mueller's attempt sailed high of the mark, making Kettle's goal the game winner.
"We've talked a lot this season about wanting our team to be able to handle adversity," ERAU Head Coach
Samantha Bohon said. "We want one of the identities of this team to be resilience. Whether it's a rain delay, an injury, controversial decisions, or some other factor that disrupts our rhythm, we want to stay the course and find a way to push through. Tonight was an opportunity to test that mentality and mindset. Playing down a player for over 70 minutes and still getting a result is a big confidence boost. And I thought we managed the game quite well despite their numerical superiority. We still need to be more clinical with our finishing opportunities and a few other areas, but I love what this group showed tonight. We'll enjoy it tonight and get ready for a strong Florida Tech team starting tomorrow."
The Eagles' next opponent will be 10
th-ranked Florida Tech in another SSC contest. ERAU and the Panthers will do battle on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the ERAU Soccer Stadium.
The 2021 Embry-Riddle women's soccer season is presented by Radiology Associates.
