LAKE WALES, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's soccer team earned a critical Sun Conference point Wednesday night, battling the Warner University Royals to a 1-1 draw in Lake Wales. The draw kept the Gyrenes four points ahead of Warner for the final spot in November's Sun Conference Tournament, and essentially forced the Royals to take points from nationally-ranked opponents in their final three matches to catch the Gyrenes.

Warner struck early in the match, taking a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute. The Royals moved quickly on a counter-attack, and Jillian Johnson found Jessica Alejandre in front of the AMU net. Alejandre finished, giving the Royals a 1-0 lead. Warner's 1-0 lead lasted for just over 16 minutes, before the Gyrenes responded with one of their season's defining moments.

Trailing 1-0, freshman Cate Cox provided one of the biggest, and most jaw-dropping, goals of the 2023 season. Following a free kick from Haley Iacona, a loose ball found the foot of Cox. The Nebraska native fired an absolute missile from more than 20 yards out, a shot that sailed into the back of the net. Cox's fourth goal of the season equalized the match, and proved to be the difference for AMU between a defeat and a much-needed point.

The match went into halftime even at one, and remained that way throughout the second half. Ave Maria had control for much of the final 45 minutes, outshooting the Royals by a 7-2 margin. AMU attempted seven corner kicks to none for Warner, and put three of their seven shots on goal without allowing any attempts on net from the Royals. However, none of those chances materialized into goals, ending the match as a draw, a result that favors the Gyrenes moving forward.

In addition to her goal, Cox was the lone Gyrene to take multiple shots on goal, firing three total shots and putting two on target. Catherine Dalton and Madelyn Krause also added multiple shots, with AMU's other shot on goal coming from Elizabeth Nowak. Emma Schweitzer made two key saves for the Gyrenes in the draw, keeping the Royals off the board for the final 75 minutes of the match. 

After the draw, the Gyrenes hold ten points in Sun Conference play to just six for the Royals. Ave Maria can clinch a spot in the postseason as early as Saturday with a win and a Warner loss. Any combination of two Ave Maria wins or Warner losses will seal AMU's first appearance in the postseason since 2020. AMU's first opportunity to clinch will be a tough one, as the Gyrenes head to West Palm Beach on Saturday for a meeting with the nationally-ranked Keiser University Seahawks.