Justin Cole, Sports Writer
(The Picket) – After rallying in the second half with Charleston University the Shepherd women’s soccer team forced double overtime Sunday, Sept 17, but ended up with a 1-1 tie.
In the early part of the game the Rams controlled the possession battle, but could not score
The Golden Eagles displayed their pestering defense making it hard for Shepherd’s midfielders, although the Rams had several opportunities to score. With a precise corner kick from senior Brianna Gorman into the box, sophomore Elishia Davis leaped in the air with a Charleston defender on her back and headed the ball right into the hands of goalkeeper Zoe Zyta of Charleston.
Rams freshman Emma Barnardoni also showed off her leg strength firing from deep but couldn’t reach the target.
At the 21:39 mark forward Claire Couturier had a nice assist to midfielder Carly Anderson as she would give the Golden Eagles their first and only score of the day. The Charleston sideline cheered their teammate on, as Ram’s captain Taylor Harwood commanded her team to pick it up.
As the first half came to an end Coach Jonathan Thayil called his team over and told them not to get down on one another and that they could still win the game, even with a 0-1 score.
At the beginning of the second half the Golden Eagles came out controlling the pace of the game, getting two shots off with one on net that got denied by All-Conference goalkeeper Christi LaBella, a Rams junior.
Following the save, the Rams would pick things up on offense, putting pressure on Charleston’s defenders. Freshman Katherine Eddy showed promise as she raced past defenders and passed to senior Danielle Fernandez to her left. Fernandez crossed it back into the box to Davis, who fired wide left of the goal.
Two minutes later, at the 69:13 mark, sophomore Brooke Harwood of the Rams would cross the ball into the net to Davis. This time she sent the ball into the back of the net, tying the game at 1-1.
After the score the Rams seemed to play with more effort to get to the ball. The team moved the ball well. Both teams felt the half coming to an end as Charleston raced down the field only to be stopped by senior defender Regan Stout and regular time came to an end.
Emotions were high at the start of overtime, as Shepherd would jump out from the start creating opportunities for themselves. Forwards Katherine Eddy and Samantha Eddy both would have attempts at goal but could not capitalize.
In the second half of overtime the Golden Eagles would battle back, getting the ball in the box, but both times were stopped by Stout. She showed great composure not panicking and stopping the opposition in their tracks.
The Rams would fight back for a few opportunities of their own in double overtime but just could not chip the ball into the net, as the match ended up in a 1-1 draw.
On Wednesday, the Rams will go on the road to face West Liberty. The game starts at 4:30 p.m.
Justin Cole is a Sports Writer for The Picket. He can be reached at jcole07@rams.shepherd.edu