HICKORY, N.C. — Mya Rivera scored with 7:38 remaining in the second half to give Lenoir-Rhyne University a 3-2 victory over Tusculum University in South Atlantic Conference women’s soccer Saturday afternoon.
The Bears (10-4-1, 7-1-1 SAC) outshot the Pioneers (8-6-2, 5-3-1 SAC) by a 23-7 margin but needed the late goal from Rivera to remain in second place in the SAC standings heading into Wednesday’s regular-season finale. Katie Durham had a goal and two assists for the Bears in the victory.
Tusculum saw its four-match winning streak come to an end despite the second two-goal performance of the season from Carme Escamilla, who tallied in the 40th and 80th minutes to twice erase Lenoir-Rhyne leads. The Pioneers are tied for third place in the SAC with Anderson, and can finish anywhere from third to sixth in the standings.
The Bears opened the scoring at 18:21 as a pass from Nicole Auger was played along in the box by Durham and finished off from 15 yards by Ava Hartman for her fifth goal of the season. Alice Bjornsson nearly gave Lenoir-Rhyne a 2-0 lead in the 30th minute, but her shot from distance rang off the crossbar above Tusculum keeper Noemie Tartrou.
Tusculum tied the match in the 40th minute as a misplay in the back by Lenoir-Rhyne left keeper Riley Miller way off her line, and Escamilla found the loose ball to roll in her fifth of the season at 39:18.
In the second half, Lenoir-Rhyne needed just 45 seconds to go back into the lead as Durham got the last touch on a loose ball in the Tusculum box and scored her eighth of the season for a 2-1 lead.
The Bears kept the pressure on the Pioneer end, with Tartrou forced to make saves on Bjornsson in the 58th and 64th minutes surrounding a stop on Rivera in the 61st minute.
Escamilla would knot the match with her sixth goal of the year at 79:10 on a play started by a cross from Addison Rishling that was headed along by Bree Ooten to Escamilla at the top of the box. She turned on her defender and sent a shot to the far post past a diving Miller to even the score at 2-2.
Lenoir-Rhyne scored the eventual winning goal on a fluke play in the 83rd minute. The Pioneers cleared a free kick but the Bears regained possession and played the ball into the box. where the Pioneers again attempted a clear. A third try was deflected and Tartrou attempted to fall on the ball, but a Lenoir-Rhyne player rolled over her and left her down and out, allowing Rivera to fire home her third goal of the season at 82:22.
Tartrou was forced to leave the game after the goal and was replaced by Holly Cowan, who was peppered with four shots on goal in the final seven minutes but stopped all four. Tartrou had six saves while in goal for the Pioneers, while Miller had three stops for the Bears.
The Pioneers travel to Carson-Newman for their regular-season finale on Wednesday, November 5 beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Eagles (7-4-3, 3-3-3 SAC) finished in a 1-1 draw with Anderson on Saturday on a goal with 16 seconds left, leaving them in seventh place in the conference standings and assured of a berth in the conference postseason.
