Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan finished their first Conference Carolinas match of the season in a draw with the King Tornado in a 2-2 final score.
The Warriors out shot the Tornado 21 shots to four. They went on to record nine shots on goal as a team.
Karla Gordon led the team with eight shots, five of which were on goal. She was followed by Madi Wrust and
Bryanna Pickens each with three shots. Both Gordon and Pickens scored goals in the tie.
Katelyn O'Neill played all ninety minutes in goal for Southern Wesleyan and collected one save.
Game Vitals
Final: Southern Wesleyan 2, King 2
Records: Southern Wesleyan (1-2-1 / CC 0-0-1) King (0-3-1 / CC 0-0-1)
Coach Meneses says…
"We feel as a team that it was a good start to our conference games. The team fought hard to the end and, with a little more luck, we could have come up with a victory. Overall, I am pleased with the team's performance as we enter into a tough stretch over the next week."
How It Happened
The Warriors attacked early in the first half of the game as
Karla Gordon and
Brianna Guinn each took shots on the goal, but Kristal Garcia and the Tornado defense kept the Warriors from taking the early lead. King countered with an attack off the foot of Veronica Roach, but
Katelyn O'Neill saved the ball from reaching the net. Southern Wesleyan continued to press the King defensive line as
Madi Wurst and
Natalie Thompson each took shots on the goal, however the game remained tied up at zero goals apiece at the half.
Southern Wesleyan charged out of the gate in the second half as
Karla Gordon got around the King defense and drilled the ball into the goal to give the Warriors a 1-0 goal lead. They maintained their intensity with shots by
Bella Hanzel and
Madi Wurst, but King would not let them extend their lead further. The Tornado challenged back as Veronica Roach scored the first goal of the game for King to tie the game up. King continued to push ahead as Mackenzie Winters passed the ball over to Isabella Carr who put the ball into the back of the net to put the Tornado on top 2-1.
Karla Gordon drove the ball to the net again, but Kristal Garcia thwarted her attempt to tie the game back up. A foul in the box allowed the Warriors to take a penalty kick with just over a minute left in the game.
Bryanna Pickens took the kick and sent the ball into the top corner of the net to allow the Warriors to tie the game up 2-2 right before buzzer.
What's Next
The Warriors will travel to Murfreesboro, NC on September 10 as they continue Conference Carolinas action against the Chowan Hawks at 1 p.m. Southern Wesleyan will return to Childs Field on September 13 as they host the North Greenville Crusaders at 5 p.m. They will then travel to the Barton Bulldogs on September 17 and the Converse Valkyries on September 21.
