HARDEEVILLE, S.C.- The Ave Maria University women's soccer team faced off with another team in the receiving votes category of the NAIA Coaches' Poll on Saturday afternoon, taking on the SCAD-Savannah Bees. SCAD-Savannah took advantage of two goals in a 32 second span in the first half, and held to a 3-1 win over the Gyrenes in the final game of AMU's two match northern swing to South Carolina, which also included Thursday's match with the University of South Carolina Beaufort.
More than 35 minutes passed at the start of the match before the Bees were able to break the ice. Berglind Baldursdott gave SCAD the lead in the 37th minute, with the assist on the play given to Ines Sommer. Sommer then found the net on her own 32 seconds later, putting the Bees up 2-0 in the 38th minute. That lead would hold until halftime, sending AMU to the locker room looking for an answer.
Just over one minute into the second half, Ave Maria found themselves back in the match with their first goal of the afternoon. For the third consecutive match, Rachel Dalton found the back of the net, accouting for her sixth goal in her freshman season. With one more goal, the freshman would become one of less than a dozen AMU players to score seven or more goals in a single season.
In the closing seconds of the match, SCAD added an insurance goal to ensure their win over the visiting Gyrenes. Abigail Siddall scored with nine seconds left on the clock to clinch the win for the Bees. Sommer was credited with her second assist and fourth point of the match, and Sydney Chura added an assist as well.
SCAD kept up constant pressure on the Gyrenes on Saturday, logging 29 shots to 13 for Ave Maria. Many of those shots were not on target, as the Bees' advantage in shots on goal was just 9-4. AMU actually had more corner kick opportunities than the home team, having two such chances in the first half and one more in the second.
Of Ave Maria's nine shots, nearly half were taken by Rachel Dalton, who logged four shots on the day. Her lone shot on goal was the goal in the 47th minute. The only other Gyrene to take more than one shot was sophomore Lauren Brooks, who had two. In goal, goalkeeper Ariana Dale made six saves to keep Ave Maria within striking distance for a majority of Saturday afternoon's match.
Ave Maria's stretch of quality opponents continues next Saturday, as the Gyrenes will have a full week to prepare for the two-time defending national champions. AMU will host the Keiser University Seahawks at Gyrene Field, with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The meeting is the second of the season between the two sides, with the Seahawks earning a 4-0 win in non-conference action back on August 28.
