ATCHISON, Kan. – In a rematch of last season's epic national tournament showdown, which saw Spring Arbor University ultimately fall in penalty kicks, the No. 8 ranked Cougars were back on the pitch Saturday in their 2015 season opener looking to avenge the loss to Benedictine College.
The match lived up to the hype as two of the NAIA's top teams battled back and forth for more than 90 minutes before the No. 6 ranked Ravens found the back of the net in overtime to defeat SAU 2-1.
"It was what you would expect from a top-10 matchup," said head coach Jason Crist. It was very hard fought and evenly contested. We had the upper hand for the latter part of the match, but Benedictine is a good team and played very well."
Following a scoreless first half, Benedictine broke the deadlock early in the second stanza with a goal in the 48th minute. The Cougars found the equalizer just minutes later, however, when senior Shannon Balcer scored off a corner kick from sophomore Sarah Klunder in the 50th minute. That's the way the score would remain after 90 minutes, forcing the teams to go into overtime once again.
In the extra period, BC's Ashley Chandler capitalized on a counter attack, sending a shot off the bottom of the crossbar in the upper corner and into the goal for the game-winner.
Benedictine held a slight edge in shots with 12 compared to SAU's 10, outshooting the Cougars 3-1 in overtime. Senior goalkeeper Sarah Yancer finished the match with five saves.
Spring Arbor (0-1) will return home to host back-to-back NAIA Top 25 opponents beginning with No. 18 Siena Heights University on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. The Cougars will then welcome in No. 11 The Master's College on Thursday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m.
Women's Soccer Contact: Chris Bauman | 517-750-6504 | christopher.bauman@arbor.edu
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