No. 1 Concordia Draws with No. 17 William Carey
BOX SCORE - Concordia vs. William Carey
ORANGE BEACH, Ala.--Thrusted into starting duties as starting keeper Tori Talbutt served a one-game suspension following a game-saving red card on Friday, freshman goalkeeper Nicole Franklin and the Concordia defense limited top-20 William Carey to a single goal en route to its second straight tie.
With the result, Concordia, ranked No. 1 in the most recent coaches'poll, moved to 6-0-2 on the season while the Crusaders finished the day at 5-1-1.
"We traveled 2,500 miles with the No. 1 target on our back änd our team did a good job of handling that pressure. Outside of the winning and losing, you take these trips, so the team can come together and find out what its really like to be unifed in a tough environment," Landy said. "I saw a lot of character and heart in both games and our depth was a big factor."
Capitalizing on one of just two shot attepts over the first 45 minutes of play, William Careys Sasha Rodriguez connected on a 25-yard blast from the left side that soared over Franklin's outstretched arms and into the far post.
Despite the score, the Cavaliers controlled the pace of the game for the majority of the first half; tallying seven shots and four corner kicks.
The Cavs greatest opportunity came in the 27th minute with the game still scoreless. Hannah Scott dashed down to the end line and sent a cross into the mixer. Linfa Jones, the Crusaders starting keeper, corralled the initial delivery but a juggle nearly costed a goal as the CU attack was awaiting a second chance.
Upping the pressure in the second half eventually paid off for the Cavaliers as Indigo Recker soared to reach a corner kick delivered by Jasmin Ayala in the 62nd minute. Stationed eight yards out on the opposite side of the goal, Recker was able to elevate over the William Carey line and head the ball perfectly into the back of the net.
"We have had a ton of corners this year created by our attackers and outside mids," Landy said. Ït was a great service by Jasmin and Indigo rose up and buried it where keeper didn't have a chance."
In the second half, CU generated several opportunites for its second goal of the contest. With 30 minutes left, Ayala cracked an 18-yared just over the crossbar and with 12 minutes remaining Ayala returned with a smash from nearly the same location, this time on frame, but collected by Jones.
In between the two Ayala shots, the Crusaders almost tacked on a go-ahead goal of their own as Rodriguez rocketed a 35-yarder from the left side after criss-crossing the field. The long-ranged attempt soarded the wideth of the goalface and richochetted off the intersection of the crossbar and the right post.
At 18:20 Franklin came up with the save of the day with a snag of a low drive from 20 yards out after a breakaway by Rodriguez.
"This was trial by fire for Nicole and she came up with some big saves yesterday and again today,"Landy said. "I'm really proud of how she stayed strong mentality into the game. It was another example of what we want from our team when their number is called."
Offensive chances were limited in both overtime sessions as the to clubs played to the draw.
For the No. 1-ranked Concordia squad, the game was its sixth of the season against a top-220 ranked team. The Cavaliers had previously defeated No. 2 Lindsay Wilson (Ky.), No. 18 Concordia (Calif.), No. 25 The Masters (Calif.) and, at the time, No. 12-ranked Hastings (Neb.). Concordia tied No. 6 Mobile in action on Friday night in Alabama.
"It was a great way to end up our non-conference schedule," Landy said. "We really challenged our group this year and to play this many games against national-level quality of competition and not suffer a loss says something about the makeup of the team.
After completing the rugged non-conference schedule, the Cavaliers will begin CCC action on Sept. 29 at Warner Pacific College. Concordia will enter the matchup against the Knights with a 7-0-1 overall record.