The Citadel 1, Charleston Southern 1
Charleston, S.C. ? The Citadel women’s soccer team battled Charleston Southern to a 1-1 double overtime draw at Buccaneer Field on Wednesday afternoon. The Bulldogs trailed 1-0 with under five minutes left in the game, but freshman Rachelle Ornelas found the back of the net with only 3:26 remaining to send the match into overtime.
The Bulldogs (1-7-1) and Bucs (3-3-1) were unable to score in the first half as CSU had five shots to The Citadel’s two. SoCon Player of the Week Rachelle Ornelas was responsible for the Dogs’ two attempts at the net. Bulldog keeper Emily Green notched four saves to keep the Bucs scoreless before the intermission.
Charleston Southern struck first in the 60th minute off a header by Lindsey Trexler. An assist was credited to Sarah Catenacci, her third of the year, as her cross found Trexler for her fourth goal of the season.
The Bulldogs tested Buc keeper Jena Uvalle in the 76th and 79th minute as Uvalle saved a shot off the foot of Aly Woodhead. After two CSU fouls, Ornelas found herself one-on-one with Uvalle as she fired it into the right corner, but Uvalle made an outstanding stop as the ball deflected off her fingertips to keep it 1-0.
The Bulldogs avoided the shutout as Ornelas knocked in her team-leading fourth goal of the season to tie the score with only 3:26 remaining. Sarah Burke and Kelly Hasselman both assisted on the play as Hasselman’s touch led to the goal by Ornelas.
Aly Woodhead fired a shot that hit the crossbar to begin The Citadel attack in the first overtime. Holli Knox then attempted a 35 yard shot, but another tremendous save by Uvalle kept the score even.
The Bucs threatened after a corner kick was awarded with 1:31 left, but Hasselman cleared it. Catenacci then broke free of Citadel defender Vivi Brown and tried to make a move around Bulldog keeper Emily Green, but Catenacci was unable to capitalize as Green swiped the ball away to keep it tied up at one, sending the game into a second overtime.
The Dogs again pressed to the Bucs’ side of the pitch to begin the second overtime as Ornelas ducked between two defenders and knicked a shot off the crossbar. The Dogs were awarded a corner kick and the ball was punched to the back of the net, but the ball came back on an untimely foul by The Citadel.
The Bucs took control of the ball in the final minutes of the game as Randall McCoy sent in a long ball to Trexler in the box, but Emily Haller broke up the play for the Bulldogs. Randall Murphy attempted a shot for the Bucs, but it sailed just over the goal. With under 20 seconds left, Murphy attempted a last ditch effort to pull out the win but she crossed it out of bounds to make the final, 1-1.
The Bucs outshot the Dogs 15-9, but Charleston Southern suffered from being called offsides seven times during the match. The Citadel had the advantage in corner kicks, 4-2 but also committed 10 fouls to CSU’s nine.
Green recorded eight saves in the front of the net in her fourth start for the Dogs, while Uvalle made five stops of her own.
The Citadel will continue on the road as they open up Southern Conference play at Appalachian State in Boone, N.C. on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 1 p.m.