Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd women's soccer team opened their 2021 campaign with a 1-1 draw against Saint Leo Thursday night in a non-conference match-up at Johnson Field. Eckerd scored in the 54th minute and maintained its lead until the 87th minute as the Lions scored in dramatic fashion.
Neither team was able to generate quality looks on goal in the first half. Early in the second half, Hajar Benjoud found the back of the net, collecting a ball from Haley DeSanto at the top of the box and rifled it in for the lead.
EC kept the Lions out of their attacking third until the final minutes of the game. SLU took a corner kick and pushed up their keeper, Alyssa Abernot, where she collected a rebound at the top of the box and fired it into the back of the next for the late equalizer. Neither team had a quality chance on goal in either overtime.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Eckerd 1, Saint Leo 1 (2 OT) Box Score
RECORDS: Eckerd (0-0-1), Saint Leo (0-0-1)
SCORING SUMMARY: EC- Benjoud 54' (DeSanto), SLU - Alyssa Abernot 87' (unassisted).
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Both goals were scored in the second half, which was filled with intermittent bursts of rain.
- The first corner kick for either team wasn't awarded until the second half.
- Benjoud's goal was just the second of her career.
- DeSanto's assist was the second of her career.
- EC held a 15-5 advantage in shots and 7-4 favor in shots on goal.
- The two teams last met on October 2, 2019. They will face each other again at the end of this month on September 29 at Saint Leo for a conference match-up.
- 19 different Tritons appeared in the match, with India Fortner, Benjoud, Katarina Papageorgiou, Krystal Torres, and Cadence Talbert playing the entire 110 minutes.
- Talbert collected three saves in goal.
UP NEXT
Eckerd returns to action on Sunday, September 12, hosting Tusculum (Tenn.) at 10:00 AM.
