ABILENE, Texas - In a battle of United Athletic Conference division leaders,
Rachel Phifer's late equalizer helped the Eastern Kentucky University women's soccer team earn a 1-1 draw at Abilene Christian on Sunday.
In the 71st minute, the Wildcats threatened to put the Colonels in a hole that seemed insurmountable. Leading 1-0, Abilene Christian had a chance to double its lead after being awarded a penalty kick, but
Jordan LeVasseur helped spark a late second-half comeback by denying the attempt.
With the energy flipped back in the Colonels' favor, Phifer delivered an immaculate goal after receiving a through ball from
Chiara Premoli. Running down the left side, Phifer crossed up the Wildcat defender and delivered a rainbow shot over one of the best keepers in the conference, sending it into the top-right corner for the equalizer.
The goal marked the Roswell, Georgia native's third goal of the season and the fifth of her career.
LeVasseur showed why she was named to the United Soccer Coaches Goalkeepers to Watch list, denying shot after shot and finishing with seven saves on the day to keep EKU within striking distance.
Both teams traded chances throughout the tightly contested match, finishing with nearly identical statistics. Abilene Christian held an 18-17 edge in shots and an 8-7 advantage in saves, while EKU led 6-5 in corner kicks and controlled 55 percent of possession.
The first 45 minutes felt like a boxing match, with each side trading blows. The Colonels had a chance to take a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute when
Avery May delivered a through ball to
Peyton Smith, setting up a one-on-one with the keeper on the right side. Smith tried to slip a pass back to May, but the ball veered just past her to a Wildcat defender.
Through the opening 24 minutes, the Wildcats managed only one long-range shot that was collected by LeVasseur. They flipped the script in the 25th minute when a Wildcat forward pushed toward goal and delivered a shot that LeVasseur saved, setting up a corner kick. On the ensuing corner, the Wildcats connected on a header that struck the underside of the crossbar but stayed out of the net to keep the score even.
In the 32nd minute, EKU had another chance following a corner kick when
Ronnie Ariel found herself open in the box and delivered a missile on goal, but Bella Medrano made a diving save to keep the match scoreless.
Entering halftime scoreless, EKU held a 7-6 edge in shots, putting three on target, and controlled 56 percent of possession. While LeVasseur recorded four saves to withstand the Wildcats' late first-half push.
The Colonels immediately put pressure on the Wildcats' defense out of halftime when Smith delivered a shot toward the bottom-left corner that was saved by a diving Medrano. On the ensuing corner kick, the Colonels found their 5-foot-11 target,
Juliet Strange, who connected on a header that appeared headed past Medrano before a defender cleared it off the goal line for a team save.
The Wildcats fought back a couple of minutes later when last week's UAC Player of the Week, Addison Briscoe, found herself one-on-one with LeVasseur, who made a diving stop for her fifth save of the match.
A minute and a half later, the Wildcats finally broke through what seemed to be an impenetrable wall in LeVasseur. Following a throw-in, they found a gap on the right side and delivered a lobbed pass over the Colonels' defense to an attacking Wildcat on the left side, who finished for the goal.
Not letting the goal get to them, the Colonels found a gap in the Wildcats' defense on the very next possession when
Avery May delivered a through ball to Phifer. One-on-one with the keeper, Phifer tried to chip the ball over Medrano's head, but Medrano once again made the save.
Leading 1-0 in the 71st minute, the Wildcats broke past the Colonels' defense and drew a foul in the box, resulting in a yellow card and a penalty kick. With the match on the line, LeVasseur stood tall, making her second penalty kick save of the season to keep EKU within striking distance.
With new life in the Colonels, Phifer rewarded LeVasseur's stop just three minutes later, finding the top drawer with a shot that left Medrano no chance of making the save, making it 1-1.
Neither side could find a winner over the final 15 minutes, closing a hard-fought battle with a point apiece.
With the draw, the Colonels (8-5-3, 4-1-2 UAC) sit atop the UAC Blue Division with 14 points and return to action next Sunday when they host North Alabama.
