Danville, Ky. - Centre faced its toughest test of the early campaign on Sunday with #2 Emory coming to town. The Colonels more than held their own in a spirited 1-1 draw.
Centre came out firing in the early minutes to set the tone for the day and show the Colonels were not to be intimidated by the defending NCAA Runner-Up.
Zara McCarthy had the first go inside of 2 minutes. A corner and high shot from
Brooke Beasley followed in the 5th minute. Emory countered with chances in the 8th and 17th minutes, but
Madeline Redmon was on the spot each time for key saves.
The Colonels kept the pressure on which led to the big moment on the scoreboard. In the 22nd minute,
Claire Cavacini took possession near midfield and delivered a top-notch ball forward to
Aida Bell down the left wing. Bell motored into the box and struck a perfect ball into the top-right corner of the net. The goal sent the packed house into a frenzy as Centre took a stunning 1-0 lead. Emory proved its resolve by answering with the equalizing goal just 97 seconds later. A lob into the box was deflected away from Redmon, leaving the top corner open for an Eagles goal. From there, the teams traded possessions with few viable chances on net as the game went to the half still tied at 1.
Emory nearly had the go-ahead goal in the 56th minute as a lob shot from 20 yards out smacked the crossbar, but the Colonel D was there to clear away any further harm. It would prove to be Emory's last best scoring chance on the day. From there, Centre began to take more possession, utilizing patience in its build-up. In the final 17 minutes, Centre drew 5 corners but could never materialize a quality chance in the box. Emory had a final go in the 88th minute that sailed well wide of goal as the teams settled a highly-entertaining draw.
Emory outshot Centre on the day, 20-9, but only 4 of the Eagles' chances were on Redmon, who stopped 3. Centre had 2 shots on goal on the day. Each team earned 7 corners.
Aida Bell marked her 1st goal of the season, while
Claire Cavacini dished out her 3rd assist in as many games.
The Colonels look to keep the momentum going on Wednesday night with a short trip to Lexington to battle Transylvania. The action starts at 7:00pm.
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