EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College (0-0-1) and Averett University (0-0-1) clashed for 110 minutes on Tuesday evening but neither team was able to find the back of the net for a 0-0 draw on opening night of the 2015 season at Fred Selfe Stadium.
Emory & Henry nearly got on the board in the first nine minutes as senior midfielder Emily Belanger (Tampa, Fla.) blistered a shot off the post. The Wasps had an opportunity in the box 15 minutes before the half when a strong run by junior midfielder Sam Sampson (Salem, Va.) was interrupted by an Averett defender, sending Sampson to the ground with no penalty call. Freshman Robbi Rodemann (Evington, Va.) put two shots on goal in the opening 45 minutes of play after coming off the bench as a substitute.
AU had a pair of chances in the final four minutes of play but a free kick by Heather Miles was turned away by the defense and a shot by Amanda Gustavsson went wide of the goal.
The Wasps put a barrage of corner kicks and shots into the Averett 18-yard box in the first five minutes of the second half and it looked as if surely one would find a home in the net, but the Cougar defense held strong. The second half settled into back-and-forth play with neither team taking full control as the clock wound down and called on extra time.
In the first overtime, the Wasps got a pair of opportunities early but the Averett goalkeeper kept her form, preserving the clean sheet. Belanger put a shot wide early in the second extra period while Gustavsson put the first shot on frame all match for AU, but it was turned away by sophomore goalkeeper Kayla Wright (Franklin County, Va.). Rodemann had E&H's final chance with just over two minutes to play but Averett's Bailee Brown made the save.
Emory & Henry led the way with a 19-7 shot advantage including 13-1 on shots on goal. The Wasps also led 8-4 on corner kicks and forced the Cougars into four offside calls.
Rodemann led the Wasps with three shots on goal while Belanger, senior defender Maria Byrd (Weber City, Va.) and freshman midfielder Gillian Hogg (Richmond, Va.) each had two attempts on frame. Wright and freshman Kieran Liseski (Mooresville, N.C.) combined for the clean sheet.
Averett's Gustavsson had a team-high three shots while Brown stood strong in goal, making 13 saves.
Emory & Henry will be on the road this weekend when it travels to Buena Vista, Virginia for a tournament at Southern Virginia University. The Wasps will take on the Saints of Marymount University on Friday at 5:00 p.m.
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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15