SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford women's soccer team (3-5-4, 0-1-1) fought for a 1-1 draw against the Citadel (3-4-2, 0-1-1) on Sunday afternoon at Snyder Field in their home conference opener.
The Terriers started off in the first half with a slow approach on offense. However, the Wofford defense picked up speed, holding firm against The Citadel's offensive attacks.
Defender Carson DeMars helped maintain the strong hold of the Terriers' defense in each of the Bulldogs' corner kick attempts. The Bulldogs saw seven corner kicks in the first half, but the Wofford defense fended off each attempt, pushing the ball out of The Citadel's control.
The Terriers' offense made a last-minute push toward the end of the half to grab their first goal of the night. Both Julia Grier and Annie Andrews had shots, but each attempt was wide off target.
The Citadel's offense dominated possession in the first half, holding 61 percent compared to Wofford's 39 percent. Wofford ended the half with three shots and one corner kick, while the Bulldogs had six shots, one on target, and seven corner kicks. Goalkeeper Elizabeth Navola ended with one save.
Coming off the halftime break, the Terriers had more energy when Delaney Minor struck first in the 51st minute for Wofford, but her attempt was wide of the top right corner. Ansley Elizalde added a shot in the 55th minute, but her chance was saved by the Bulldogs.
Wofford seemed to have the momentum going until a foul drawn by The Citadel's Adrianna Gill created the opportunity to pass the ball through the Terriers' defense which set up Elisa Fuentes for the first goal of the afternoon to bring the Bulldogs a 1-0 advantage.
The Terriers' midfield didn't give up as Ellie Gower took the chance to strike but was shy of the top of the goal. With Wofford maintaining 58 percent of the possession in half, the Terriers were persistent in getting their first goal of the match. In a pass from Mary Liese Grier on the right side to Aly Bernhard in the middle, Bernhard found an opening in the top right corner to sink the ball in the net at 67:58 to deliver the equalizer for the Terriers.
At the end, the Terriers tried for a late push for the lead as Julia Grier had a chance on goal that was quickly saved by the Bulldogs.
Wofford finished with 11 shots, four on goal, compared to The Citadel's 10 shots, three on goal. Navola ended with two saves, while the Bulldogs' Zoe Santos had three.
Notes:
Mary Liese Grier recorded her first career assist in today's conference contest. She ended the match with one shot and 70 minutes played.
The last time the Terriers faced 10 or more corner kicks was against Gardner-Webb this season on August 28 when they faced 12.
Wofford remains winless at home with a record of 0-3-3 so far this season.
The Terriers are back again at Snyder Field on Friday, September 26 at 6 p.m. as they face off against the Samford Bulldogs streaming on ESPN +.
