AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria Women's Soccer team battled the Webber Warriors to a scoreless draw Wednesday evening at Gyrene Field, with both defenses standing firm in a hard-fought Sun Conference matchup.
The Gyrenes produced several dangerous chances throughout the match, highlighted by Cate Cox's five-shot performance, including two on target. Catherine Dalton and Kaitlyn Ramos also pressured the Warriors' back line, combining for four shots, while Daria Charron nearly broke the deadlock in the 36th minute when her strike hit the crossbar.
In goal, freshman Avalena DeBolt turned in another stellar performance for Ave Maria, recording nine saves to earn her third shutout of the season. DeBolt was especially sharp in the second half, stopping six of the Warriors' shots to preserve the clean sheet. "I'm really proud of how our defense is adapting, considering the number of injuries we've sustained," Head Coach Tyler Rosser pointed out.
Webber held a 17-13 edge in total shots and 6-3 advantage in corner kicks but could not find a way past DeBolt. Freshman keeper for the Warriors, Francesca Magnotti, made three saves for the Warriors to post a shutout of their own.
With the draw, Ave Maria's record moves to 4-7-5 overall and 0-3-4 in conference play. The Gyrenes also earn another point in the standings, bringing their season total to four. Five draws in a season are tied for the most in program history, matching the 2022 season where Ave Maria went 4-7-5.
AMU got a little help from around the Sun Conference Wednesday evening with Warner falling to Keiser which kept the Royals at four points as well. The Gyrenes are now tied with Warner for seventh place in the conference and are just three points behind the New College of Florida Mighty Banyans in sixth place.
To secure a spot in the Sun Conference Tournament, the Gyrenes must defeat New College next week on Wednesday, October 29th in their last regular season match. They also need Warner to drop at least one of its final two matches, with #21 Southeastern and Webber left of their schedule. If Ave Maria beats New College and Warner goes 1-1 in their final two games, all three teams will finish with seven points and tied for sixth. The Gyrenes will own the tiebreaker though, having beaten New College and tying with Warner. New College defeated Warner on September 27, which would give Ave Maria the advantage. If Warner drops both games, then Gyrenes will only need the tiebreaker against New College, which they will own with a win.
"I have confidence that we can do it," said Rosser, "but it's going to take a huge team effort, and putting the ball in the back of the net."
Kickoff between the Gyrenes and the Mighty Banyans is set for 3:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network.
