AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's soccer team played right with the eleventh-ranked team in the nation Wednesday night at Gyrene Field, playing to a historic scoreless draw with the Seahawks of Keiser University. It marked Ave Maria's first ever point against the perennial powerhouse, as Keiser had won the first 17 matches between the two schools.

In the first 45 minutes, the Gyrene defense stood up to the dangerous Keiser attack. The Seahawks fired 18 shots in the first half, but the AMU defense was able to deflect many of them harmlessly away from the net. The five shots that did go on frame were all collected by freshman goalkeeper Emma Schweitzer, keeping the Seahawks off the board. AMU attempted two shots in the opening period, both of which were off target. 

Schweitzer was even more brilliant in the second half, making nine saves in the final 45 minutes of the match. Many of those nine saves were of the acrobatic variety, turning away potential Keiser goals throughout the second half. The Gyrenes had chances of their own late in the second half, putting a trio of shots on goal, but could not come up with the shocking winner before the match ended at 0-0.

Ave Maria's freshman goalkeeper put together arguably the greatest performance in program history in Wednesday's match. Schweitzer made 14 saves against one of the nation's best teams, several of which were seemingly headed for the back of the net. It was the freshman's third clean sheet in her last four matches, as the freshman has not allowed a goal in eight of her last ten halves played.

Keiser outshot the Gyrenes 34-5 in the draw, including a 14-3 edge in shots on goal. The Seahawks also had seven corner kick opportunities, all of which were turned away by the Gyrenes. Rachel Dalton, Nina Laville, and Madelyn Krause attempted Ave Maria's shots on goal, all of which came in the second half. Cate Cox and Veronica Rodriguez attempted AMU's two shots in the first half. 

AMU won't have much time to enjoy their point, as the Sun Conference schedule rolls on. The Gyrenes, who currently sit a 1-2-2 in Sun Conference play with their only two losses to nationally-ranked teams from Southeastern and SCAD, will lead off Ave Maria's tripleheader of athletics action on Saturday, hosting the Warner University Royals at Gyrene Field. Kickoff of the Sun Conference tilt is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.