PRESCOTT, Ariz. – It took every ounce of an NAIA Top 10 team to deny the Corban University Women's Soccer team at least a draw tonight in the final leg of their non-conference opening Arizona trip, as the Warriors (1-2, 0-0) fell by a single goal to the No. 9-ranked Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Eagles thanks to a late-game free kick deep in Warrior territory.
"Today, our Ladies showcased what it means to be a true Warrior," head coach Travez Whyte shared shortly after the conclusion of their final scheduled contest in Arizona this season. "Our entire staff is proud of the hard work and attitude they displayed. Again, it's not fun losing, but we are learning so much through these games. The future is very bright, go Warriors!"
The No. 9-ranked Eagles (1-0, 0-0) saw their fair share of offensive opportunities in the first half, holding a 7-0 advantage in shots taken at the midway point of the opening period. While the Warriors had struggled to find an opening in the ERAU defensive half, their own defense had been a stalwart as well to deny multiple Eagles possessions.
It wasn't until the 35th minute that the Navy and Gold saw their first opportunity in the penalty box, as graduate student midfielder Kaleigh Haworth collected a ricochet corner kick and blasted a shot from the right side of the box, nearly taking a first half lead against the NAIA Top 10 program before her shot was deflected last second.
A 9-1 shot margin in favor of ERAU was the final stats for the first half of tonight's contest, with two of those coming on goal while Haworth's shot attempt for Corban was on goal as well. The Warriors were perfect on the official's whistle thus far, having not committed a single foul or offsides penalty as they entered the locker room in a 0-0 halftime stalemate.
For seventy-eight straight minutes, the Warriors played lockdown defense and thwarted every ERAU attempt. However, a foul in the 79th minute roughly 15 yards outside of Corban's penalty box resulted in a free kick opportunity for Eagles' midfielder Rae Yoshioka, who fired a line drive shot into the upper right corner of the goal to break the tie with roughly ten minutes remaining.
Try as the Warriors might, the late game heroics by Yoshioka proved to be a daunting task once the scoreboard reached single-digit minutes remaining, as the Eagles poured on the offense even more to keep Corban out of their own offensive half to escape their season opener with a 1-0 victory.
Haworth logged the lone shot on goal this evening for the Navy and Gold, while sophomore midfielder Rylee Loewen and senior forward Fatima Jimenez each recorded a shot in the second half. Junior goalkeeper Catriona Burns hauled in five saves in her first start of the season, taking the loss on the single goal allowed late in the contest.
The Warriors will now make the flight home to Oregon and begin preparations for two more non-conference matchups this upcoming week, starting with a road exhibition at NCAA DIII Pacific University, which is set for a 7pm PT start time on Wednesday, August 23rd.
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