LATROBE, Pa. (Oct. 20) – A goal with just 3:51 remaining in regulation broke a 1-1 tie and sent visiting Waynesburg past Saint Vincent in a Presidents' Athletic Conference match at UPMC Field.
At the 86:09 mark, the Yellow Jackets' Haley Johnson caught up to a lead pass from Katie James and sent a shot into the upper left 90 of the net to give her team their first and only lead of the afternoon. The Bearcats mounted a late push, but were unequal to net the equalizer.
In the first half, the Bearcats got off to a strong start, taking a lead just over five minutes into play. SVC's
Tanisha Grewal intercepted a clearing attempt by the Waynesburg keeper and quickly blasted the ball into the open cage from 15 yards out for her team- and PAC-leading 14th tally of the season.
The Yellow Jackets would then control the ball in their offensive end for the next several minutes, taking three shots and two corner kicks between the seventh and 19th minutes, but the SVC defense held.
The play would then go back-and-forth over the middle stages of the half, with three SVC shots on goal between the 25th and 32nd minutes turned aside.
The Yellow Jackets would close the half with the momentum, with a goal from James tying the match with just 2:35 left until intermission.
Waynesburg ended the half with a slim 6-4 margin in shots, while taking nine corner kicks to SVC's two.
The Bearcats looked primed to tie the game a number of times throughout the second half, with blasts from
Hannah Irvine and Grewal each hitting posts and Grewal getting denied on three shots on goal.
SVC keeper
Madison Arnold preserved the 1-1 tie with her second save of the afternoon in the 82nd minute, but just over three minutes later, James sent a long through ball from midfield to set up Johnson's gamewinner.
Saint Vincent out-shot Waynesburg 10-3 over the final 45 minutes, and 14-9 for the match, with Yellow Jackets goalie Autumn Blair finishing the day with six saves.
Grewal led both sides with eight shots, including six on target, while Arnold ended the afternoon with two saves.
The Bearcats will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 23, for their penultimate match of the season, traveling to New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, to face PAC-leading Westminster College at noon.
