GRANVILLE, Ohio (September 10, 2023) – Last weekend it was a penalty kick in the 75th minute by Adrian College that led to a 1-1 tie, but this time around it was a penalty kick goal by
Sophia Connell again in the 75th minute that helped the Denison University women's soccer team battle to a 1-1 draw against John Carroll University on Sunday afternoon inside Deeds Field-Piper Stadium.
It was the first meeting between Denison (2-0-2 overall) and John Carroll (1-1-2) since a 2-2 tie in Granville in 2016.
The first strong chance for Denison was a 2-on-1 breakaway opportunity in the 22nd minute. After stealing the ball from the Blue Streaks,
Caroline Flynn challenged the JCU goalkeeper Madeleine Martin Koiser but just missed wide right.
The first shot on goal of the match for either team did not come until the 54th minute when
Molly Noga had to make back-to-back saves to keep it scoreless.
However, that led to back-to-back corner kicks for the Blue Streaks, who in the 55th minute broke through on a goal by Emily Patrzyk as a misplay by Noga on a bad bounce proved costly.
Despite falling behind 1-0, Denison responded well with a number of shots to try and find the equalizer.
Denison's first shot on goal of the match came from
Callie Davis but was saved in the 57th minute, and then in the 60th minute, a great cross from
Caroline Garrard resulted in a header from Connell that just missed high.
Garrard then had a shot saved by Koiser in the 64th minute, and
Reily Brinley missed high just over a minute later.
Finally, in the 75th minute,
Isabella Guzman got loose and drew Koiser out of the goal, resulting in a collision and a penalty kick for the Big Red.
That set the stage for the tying goal by Connell, who was deliberate, cool and collected in a big spot and delivered with a low ball just to the left of Koiser.
Both Koiser and Noga made a save in the 78th minute while Koiser added a final stop on a shot by
Avery Butler in the 84th minute.
Both goalkeepers ultimately finished with four saves in the second half with Denison holding a slight edge in shot attempts (9-8) over the final 45 minutes.
Davis, Butler, Garrard and Connell each finished with two shot attempts for the Big Red offense.
Next up, Denison will continue its four-match homestand by hosting Albion College at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 13, and Centre College at 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 16.
