Second half surge leads to 2-2 draw between Pride and Eagles
ELGIN, Ill.. - Getting the 2024-25 season off and running for Clarke University Athletics, the Pride women's soccer team earned a 2-2 draw on Thursday afternoon against Judson University.
In a game where CU outshot the eagles 22-6 over the entirety of the game and 12-1 in the first half, it was Judson who held a 1-0 lead after the opening 45 minutes of the game as Yeyahs Macias took advantage of a Clarke turnover in their own end and scored on an open net in the 10th minute.
With that lead holding the remaining 35 minutes of the first half, it wouldn't take long into the second half before the Pride would answer to equalize as freshman Jayden Black fired a shot 21 seconds into the second half that found the top right corner of the goal to make it 1-1.
About seven minutes of game time later, Black would strike again but this time her well-struck ball would hit off the cross bar and fall to an open Laryssa Pritchard as the junior would tap in her first goal of the game to make it 2-1 CU in the 53rd minute.
Holding that one-goal lead with just under five minutes to play, the Eagles would earn a corner kick, just their second of the game, as Kelly Leon took the corner to curl an in-swinging ball on goal to bring the game back to even at 2-2 with about 4:50 left to play.
Clarke would put the pressure back on earning a corner kick of their own but they couldn't capitalize on but with just over two minutes remaining in the game, Pritchard would break free in the box and draw a penalty on JU.
Senior Bailey Wiemann would be the choice for the Pride to take the penalty but she was matched by Eagles' goalkeeper Eva Fernandez as Fernandez would make not one, but two saves on Wiemann, first on the initial penalty attempt then again on the rebound shot attempt.
That and the ensuing corner kick for CU would be the last gasp to regain a lead as both teams walked away with a 2-2 draw to open their 2024 regular seasons.
Pride women's soccer will have a quick turnaround to their regular season home opener when they welcome Coe College to Burrows Field on Saturday, Aug. 24 for a 5:00 p.m. CT kickoff.