Box Score Prescott, Ariz. – Thanks to a pandemic it took the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Universities (Ariz.) women's soccer team 21 months to get back on the field, but when the did the Eagles impressed. Freshman Rae Yoshioka (FR/Pearl City, Hawaii) scored in the 70th minute to tie the game as ERAU, which received votes in the preseason top-25 poll, earned the draw in a hard fought battle with No. 3 Spring Arbor University.
In an evenly played contest that had more of a feel of a late season playoff game rather than a season opener, both squads had early opportunities to score. Spring Arbor (0-0-1) had a couple of early opportunities, but saw one shot saved by ERAU goalie Mackenzie Osther (SR/San Diego, Calif.) and another hit the crossbar. In the 28th minute Shelby Marshall worked herself free and got a shot past Osther to put the Cougars up 1-0.
Osther saved three more shots in the first half to keep the Eagles close. Anabelle Hall (JR/Enumclaw, Wash.) got off a clean shot in the 39th minute for Embry-Riddle (0-0-1), but saw her effort hit the crossbar and the two sides went into the half with Spring Arbor clinging to its 1-0 lead.
Ten minutes into the second half Embry-Riddle got the upper hand, firing off three shots in less than a minute, two by Hall, but each missed their mark. The Eagles kept the pressure on, getting off two more shots before Yoshioka found the mark with her first career tally to knot the game at 1-1.
Neither team could find the game winner in overtime. ERAU got off three shots in the first OT, but one was saved and the other two were off the mark. In the second OT Spring Arbor had a chance with a direct kick in the 106th minute. Maddison Marshall saw her effort get behind the Eagle defense, but Sierra Vicente (SR/Las Vegas, Nev.) was there to clear the ball before any harm was done.
Embry-Riddle will be off until Sunday, August 22, when the Eagles will host No. 10 Eastern Oregon at 7:00 p.m. Before taking on the Eagles, Eastern Oregon and Spring Arbor will collide in a battle of top-10 teams on the ERAU soccer field on Friday, August
