Women's Soccer Can't Find Equalizer Despite Late Surge
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Missouri Valley (3-3-2, 2-0-0) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
|
Culver-Stockton (MO) (5-3-0, 0-2-0) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
A late surge by the Culver-Stockton College women's soccer team ran out of time in a 2-1 Heart of America Athletic Conference loss to 24th-ranked Missouri Valley College Wednesday night at Ellison Poulton Stadium.
The Wildcats trailed 2-0 late in the game when pressure by the offense finally resulted in a goal for the home team.
Kaydence Payne had an excellent opportunity to score inside the goal box, but Viking goalkeeper Lois Benitez made the initial save. The rebound came back to Payne, who tapped it to Mikayla Gioia to her left. Gioia's shot rolled under the arm of Benitz to cut the deficit in half with eight minutes to play.
Moments before Gioia's goal, the Wildcats had another excellent opportunity off a corner kick. Maggie Tuxhorn sent the free kick to the middle of penalty area where Ellie Wiehardt got her head on the ball; however, it landed in the hands of Benitez for the save.
The Vikings tallied their first goal in the 17th minute when a MVC player was grabbed from behind after he had gotten behind the defense. The following free kick from 20 yards out beat Mackenzie Frizzell for the first goal of the game.
MVC made it 2-0 early in the second half off a corner kick of its own. The Vikings forced a corner kick and it appeared nothing came of it when the ball was re-directed wide of the net. The referee ruled the ball went off a Wildcat defender despite C-SC objecting and the assistant referee calling for a goal kick.
Given a second chance, the Vikings didn't miss, and visitors increased their lead to 2-0 just nine minutes into the second half.
C-SC was outshot in the game 14-8 overall, including 5-2 in the first half. The Wildcats were able to put six shots toward the Viking goal in the second half with four of the six going on target. Overall, C-SC put six of their eight shots on frame.
The Wildcats, now 5-3 overall and 0-2 in the Heart, are scheduled to travel to Atchison, Kan., this Saturday, Sept. 23, to face Benedictine College. Originally slated to start at 7:30 p.m., the time has been moved up to 4 p.m. due to the forecast for inclement weather in the Atchison area.