San Antonio, Texas- The Our Lady of the Lake University women’s soccer team battled Wiley University to a 1-1 draw, overcoming an early deficit and playing the final portion of the match with 10 players.
Wiley struck first in the 22nd minute when Grace Reed found the back of the net off an assist from Eleonora Diversi, giving the home side a 1-0 advantage at halftime.
OLLU responded in the second half when Mariah Williams scored an unassisted goal in the 61st minute to bring the match level at 1-1. Williams led the Saints with four shots and three shots on goal while recording OLLU’s lone goal.
The Saints continued to generate opportunities throughout the second half, finishing the match with 19 shots, including seven on target. Leah Tapia added three shots with one on goal, while Diversi recorded six shots and three shots on goal while also earning an assist.
OLLU goalkeeper Avery Palmer made three saves over 90 minutes to help preserve the draw. Wiley goalkeeper Destiny Allison recorded six saves.
The Saints faced additional adversity in the 66th minute when Samantha Rodriguez and Wiley’s Monica Sanchez were both issued red cards, leaving both teams with 10 players for the remainder of the match. OLLU also received a yellow card in the contest.
OLLU controlled much of the attacking play, earning eight corner kicks compared to none for Wiley. The Saints finished with 19 shots to Wiley’s six and held a 12-7 advantage in shots during the second half.
The draw gave OLLU another hard-fought result as the Saints continued their season against a competitive Wiley squad.