AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria Women's Soccer team played the Faulkner Eagles to a draw Thursday night, ending the match in a 1-1 tie. The Gyrenes netted a late goal in the second half to even up the score, punctuating a surge of offensive pressure that saw Ave Maria outshoot Faulkner 13-2.
The game was delayed over 90 minutes due to lightning in the area, but the two teams finally took the pitch around 8:30 p.m. to begin the match.
In the first half, shots were at a premium with Ave Maria registering six and Faulkner logging just three. However, the Eagles made one of their shots count in a big way, scoring the opening goal in the 20
th minute. Of AMU's six shots, two were on goal, but both were saved by the Faulkner keeper.
In the second half, the Gyrenes took control of the game and tilted the pitch in their favor. Ave Maria took 13 shots in the second half. The pressure finally paid off in the 70
th minute. The Eagles' goalkeeper tried to clear the ball from the box but instead rolled the ball up Claire Wrobleski's body and up into the air. Freshman Aviana Ferraez was charging right behind and headed the ball back towards the goal. The Faulkner goalkeeper tried to make a play on it but did not have the right angle and watched the ball sail into the back of the net. It was the second goal of the season for Ferraez and her first since the 13-0 win over Florida College.
With 20 minutes left to play in the game, the Gyrenes continued to pressure the Eagle defense while holding their offense to just two shots. Neither team broke the tie in the final stages of the game and the match ended in a draw.
With the tie, Ave Maria's record moves to 3-2-1 and 2-0-1 in September. It is the first draw of the year for the Gyrenes, who have tied four or more matches in the last three seasons.
"Overall, they did pretty well," said assistant coach Haley Peterson. "The second half was definitely a lot better. If we played like we did in the second half, I think we would have won [as] we had a lot more chances."
Ave Maria is back at home for their next match Wednesday, September 17, as they play host to the Keiser Seahawks. While the match is against a fellow Sun Conference team, it will count as a non-conference match with the league game scheduled for October 8. Keiser was ranked No. 1 in the latest Top 25 poll and is currently undefeated at 4-0. The Gyrenes have one win in program history over a Top 10 team, beating No. 5 Southeastern 2-0 in 2021. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network.
