EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Women's Soccer Team (4-11-1, 4-5-1 ODAC) picked up a key win in Old Dominion Athletic Conference action Sunday afternoon as it defeated Guilford College (1-16, 1-9 ODAC) by a 3-1 score. The contest also served as Senior Day as the Wasps honored five players in their final seasons wearing blue and gold.
Emory & Henry got on the board in the 37thh minute as senior forward Jessi Biggs (Vienna, Va.) settled a flick header from junior midfielder Erica Merriman (Cornelius, N.C.) off of a throw in and put it in the back of the net. It was Biggs' fourth goal of the season, which currently leads the team.
The Wasps made it a 2-0 margin at the half thanks to senior midfielder Ashlie Caldwell's (Blue Ridge, Va.) goal at the 43:51 mark. Merriman got her second assist of the day as she found Caldwell with a vertical pass that she used to beat the goalkeeper.
Emory & Henry continued to dominate for the first 20 minutes of the second half. Guilford broke down the E&H defense when Leticia Benitez found Kellie Uresti inside the six-yard box and Uresti beat the goalkeeper on the left side to the near post to make the score 2-1.
For the next six minutes, the Wasps pressed hard to get the advantage back to two goals. E&H got the breakthrough with 18:14 remaining when sophomore defender Maria Byrd (Weber City, Va.) played a ball ahead that Caldwell collected and went one-on-one with the goalkeeper for her second score of the game.
Emory & Henry held a 33-3 advantage on shots including an 18-2 margin in shots on goal. The Wasps also had eight corners to just one for the Quakers.
E&H senior Sarah Jerome (Charlotte, N.C.) stopped one shot as she earned the win while Abby Gove made 15 saves for Guilford.
The Wasps find themselves in seventh place in the ODAC standings with a week and a half remaining in the regular season. E&H's tie against third-place Shenandoah University could prove to be the difference-maker down the stretch as the team vies for its third-straight berth in the conference tournament.
Emory & Henry will travel to the beach next weekend as the Wasps are set to take on the Virginia Wesleyan College Marlins on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., in league play.
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