INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian women's soccer team led for just 47 seconds on Wednesday night, as they were unable to hold a lead after scoring the game's first goal, eventually playing to a 90-minute draw with Mount Vernon. The 1-1 tie with the Cougars drops Marian's overall record to 11-0-2, ending their unblemished Crossroads League mark at a 4-0-1 record.
The Knights dominated possession from the opening kick, charging at the Mount Vernon net throughout the first half. The first shot of the game came from Jacelyn Smith in the ninth minute, with her second shot coming two minutes later but both attempts were saved by Hannah Miller. Miller avoided damage in the 13th minute as Naomi Walters missed a short range attempt high of the crossbar.
The Cougars would manage a soft shot attempt in the 19th minute from Alexis Hoffman, but did nothing to halt Marian's possession as the Knights started a spree of looks. Erin Oleksak, Camryn Gietl, and Smith all fired a shot attempt in a three minute run, with Gietl and Smith taking looks on goal that found the hands of Miller. Marian kept their run of shots going with Oleksak and Smith firing on frame, while Delaney Taylor had a blast blocked in the 40th minute. The half ended in a scoreless draw, as a last second shot from Oleksak ended up in Miller's hands.
In the second half the Knights continued to press, owning the possession from the restart. Walters ripped a blast that was saved by Miller in the 49th minute, and in the 56th minute Marian saw their best look of the half clang off the post, as Allie Schlom was unable to score. Marian continued to press, and after a pair of shots were stopped by Miller, Marian found their chance in the 59th minute as Walters drove a ball past the keeper off Schlom's feed, giving the Knights the opening score.
Marian's 1-0 lead would not stick however, as Mount Vernon charged down field and were able to get the ball in the box, equaling the score 47 seconds of game time later as Jordyn Schafer found Hoffman through a sea of defenders to level the match 1-1.
Marian continued to dominate possession and would only allow two shot attempts for the remainder of the night, as the offense tried to answer the score. Watlers, Smith, and Oleksak each took an attempt as the clock reached the 70th minute, but were unable to find the back of the net. A shot from Walters was blocked in the 76th minute as the pace slowed, and a strong attempt from Drew Mason was nullified after Oleksak carried the ball over the end line before passing back to her teammate. Marian managed just one shot attempt in the final 10 minutes, with an attempt from Schlom getting blocked in the 85th minute.
Unabe to find the go-ahead score, the match ended in a draw, seeing a 1-1 tie on the scoreboard. Marian outshot the Cougars 23-4 in the match, with 11 of their attempts going on frame. Walters had five shots as she scored the lone goal for the home team, while Oleksak and Smith each had six shot attempts. Noelle Rolfsen made two saves on the three shots on goal she faced, while her counterpart Miller made 10 saves.
Marian will head on the road on Saturday for the second time in Crossroads League play, as they travel to Huntington for a doubleheader with the developmental team. The first team will take the pitch at 1:30 p.m.
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