WINTER PARK, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's soccer team erased a one-goal deficit to topple 17th-ranked Rollins 2-1 on the road in Sunshine State Conference play on Saturday. The Eagles, now 8-4-2 on the year, trailed early in the first half but scored once in the first and again in the second to move up to the No. 2 spot in the SSC standings with a 4-2-2 league record.
 
Like the first meeting of the season between the Eagles and the Tars in Daytona Beach, the first goal of the game went to the home team as the Tars opened the scoring in the 11th minute via a goal by Briyah Drayton.
 
The Eagles were down but not out and stuck to their game plan of high pressure on the Rollins defense. In the 31st minute, Hattie Kettle won a header on a ball launched into the box and eventually got the ball out to Kaitlin Kogl on the right side. Kogl cut inside and found Lauryn Mateo who then turned and took a couple of touches and her perfectly weighted pass neutralized the Rollins last defender and got to Grace Foyer running down the middle of the pitch. Foyer dribbled to the top of the 18-yard box before driving her first shot of the game into the back of the net to even the score at 1-1.
 
Both sides had opportunities to add to their leads including a Kettle header that was saved off the line and a Mateo strike that forced a save out of Rollins goalkeeper Lauren Mehos. The Tars had a shot that went off the cross bar and another that was saved by Oona Jokinen, but at the end of the first 45 minutes the teams were deadlocked at 1-1.
 
The second half started the way the first half ended, with both teams getting shots but not finding the back of the net.
 
In the 71st minute, the Eagles were awarded a penalty kick after Ida Zetterberg was fouled inside the box. Mehos made a diving, one-handed save on the attempt and that play shifted the momentum in favor of the Tars who had Jokinen and the Eagle defense back on their heels with a series of dangerous tries at goal.
 
Back-to-back saves by Jokinen in the 79th minute gave the Eagles the ball in their defensive third. Embry-Riddle quickly played up the field and found Kogl on the right side. Kogl played a ball toward Foyer and the senior's touch allowed her to get away from her defender and race unimpeded down the right side. Foyer then hit a low cross into the box where it fell to Berglind Thrastardottir who notched her second goal of the year to put the Eagles up 2-1.
 
The late goal proved too much for Rollins to overcome and while they survived a wave of Embry-Riddle shots in the closing minutes, they were unable to mount another attack and the Eagles left Cahall-Sandspur Stadium with a one-goal win for the second time in as many seasons.
 
Jokinen finished the game with four saves, while Mehos made 10 stops for the Tars who fall to 7-3-1 overall and 4-2 in the SSC.
 
The Eagles will be back at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium on Wednesday to host Florida Southern at 7 p.m.
 
The 2024 Embry-Riddle women's soccer season is presented by Radiology Associates.