BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – After 110 minutes, Gardner-Webb and Navy remained tied, battling to a 1-1 draw at Greene-Harbison Stadium on Friday afternoon.
"We showed a lot of grit today," said head coach
Mike Varga. "It was incredibly hot, and Navy is an organized team. I thought we played very well.
Erin Shamleffer has been dangerous getting for us which set up Stina's goal off the set piece. The goal we gave up was quite a strike as well. All in all, it was probably a fair result and one we will continue to build on."
For Gardner-Webb,
Stina Kleppe helped the Runnin' Bulldogs get off to a quick start, scoring in the 17
th minute. Kleppe's first goal of the year came off a free kick from 12 yards out on the right side of the field. The junior placed one into the upper 90, putting the 'Dogs in front.
Navy threatened just four minutes later, but
Keely Brown made her first of six saves in the double-overtime match.
In the 39
th minute, the Mids' Baseley McClaskey took an attempt that ended up wide of the goal, but one minute later she received a pass from teammate Cadie Higginson and netted the equalizer. It was McClaskey's second goal of the 2018.
Over the final six minutes of the opening period, neither team would take a shot as the teams headed to the intermission tied at one.
In the opening minutes of the second half, the Runnin' Bulldogs threatened, as
Bailey Hierholzer and
Jada Newton both took shots on goal which were saved by Navy's Sydney Fortson.
The Mids' best chances in the final period came in the 62
nd and 64
th minutes respectively, but Brown saved both attempts, keeping the game knotted at one.
Kleppe's shot in the 66
th was saved by Fortson, while
Jana Braun's two attempts within the final minute of regulation were both high of the net, as the teams headed to overtime.
In the first overtime period, Sam Grove's attempt just 40 seconds into the 10-minute period was high of the net, while
Alisha Holcombe's header in the 92
nd minute nearly found the back of the goal but was saved.
The Mids did their best to end the game in the 99
th minute with two corner kicks and a shot on goal, but the two teams remained deadlocked after 100 minutes of action.
Navy controlled the pace in the second overtime period, taking the only two shots of the segment, but came up empty, ending the contest in a 1-1 draw.
With the draw, Gardner-Webb moves to 2-2-1, while the Mids now stand at 2-1-2.
The Runnin' Bulldogs took 11 shots (six on goal), while Navy managed 16 (seven on goal). The Mids held a sizeable advantage in corner kicks, 10-2.
Gardner-Webb will now hit the road, traveling to Boone, N.C. for a match with Appalachian State. Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 2.
