NEWTON, Mass. – It always looked like Mount Ida College would be rewarded for their hard work in Wednesday night's women's soccer game against Mitchell at Alumni Field.
The Mustangs outshot their opponents 24-5 in regulation, but it took until there were just eleven seconds left on the clock before they finally equalized and eventually settled for a 1-1 draw with the Mariners in their final non-conference tussle before Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play begins.
Freshman Lacey Perry (Westport, Mass.) scored her first collegiate goal in dramatic fashion, as her cross with just seconds left to play ricocheted off of freshman goalie Drew Johndrow (Killingly, Conn.) and into the back of the net.
Johndrow played exceptionally well in net for the Mariners, making twelve stops in her first ever action between the pipes. Fellow freshman Kelsey Parkin (Standish, Maine) made a pair of saves in the Mount Ida goal and has now earned draws in each of the two college matches in which she has appeared.
Each team scored in the final minutes of a half, as Mitchell netted with 50 seconds to play before halftime to take a lead into the break, despite that being their first shot of the first forty-five minutes, to ten attempts by the Mustangs.
Sophomore Christina Jando (Naugatuck, Conn.) beat Parkin on a hard volley after a loose ball fell to her at the edge of the box for her first goal of the season.
The Mustangs had several chances to break through, including a shot off the post by freshman Emily Oltmanns (Golden, Col.) just over twenty-five minutes into the game. Oltmanns spun around and placed a great shot far post that beat Johndrow, but bounced off the iron and dribbled harmlessly back into the keeper's reach.
Back to back attempts by sophomore Alee Bonola (Windsor, Conn.) went wide of the net within a minute early in the second half, though the speedy striker was played into space well on both occasions.
The home team had another chance to win it at the final horn of the second overtime, but Johndrow made one final stop on a shot by Isabelle Moody (Naugatuck, Conn.) that bounced up on her.
Mount Ida ended the game with a 36-5 shot advantage and a 4-2 edge in corner kicks.
The Mustangs (1-1-2) now turn their attention to their GNAC schedule, which will open up on Saturday evening when they travel to Norwich for a 7:30 pm showdown.
After their only road game in their first six contests, Mitchell (0-1-2) returns home to host Fisher College on Saturday at 1:00 pm.