MARIETTA, Ohio – After giving up a first half goal, the Marietta College women's soccer team converted on a second half penalty kick and eventually settled for a 1-1 tie with Chatham University on Wednesday (Sept. 17) evening.  With the tie, the Pioneers continue their unbeaten streak at five and move to 3-1-3 on the season. The Cougars are now 2-2-2 overall.


Both teams started quietly, but Chatham took the first scoring opportunity in the 6th minute.  Addison Lloyd sent a shot toward Pioneer goalkeeper Haley Dawicke (Newport News, Va./Tabb), which was promptly stopped to keep the game scoreless.  The Pioneers had a good look at a score in the 21st minute as Katie Heighberger (LaGrange, Ohio/Saint Joseph Academy) fired a shot in the box, but Cougar goalkeeper Kyanni Escudero returned the favor by getting the stop.  
 
Finally, in the 25th minute, Ainsley Smith made a steal and broke away towards the net for the Cougars.  She fired a shot that was deflected by Dawicke, but Smith stayed with the ball and was able to tap it in across the line, giving Chatham the lead.  Marietta had another pair of harmless shots to close out the half but could not break the tie.  Chatham took the 1-0 lead into intermission
 
Both teams battled back in forth for the first 15 minutes of the second half with very little offense.  Chatham had a good look in the 60th minute, but Maisee Carrier (Fairview, Pa./Fairview) made the stop for the Pioneers.  A crucial moment took place on the other side of the field just two minutes later as Kira Korsak (Livermore, Calif./Livermore) was fouled within the box, which resulted in a penalty kick.  Heighberger took the kick and deposited into the left side of the net, locking the game back up at one.  
 
Both teams began to pick up the energy in later portion of the period, but Chatham had a great chance in the 70th minute as Hallie Marselis sent a laser beam to the left side of the goal.  Carrier made a diving save, which resulted in a corner kick.  The ensuing play saw the Cougars send a shot off the crossbar.  In the final five minutes, the Pioneers sent a flurry of shots into the box, with several close calls, but points to show for.  Chatham had one final opportunity in the final seconds, but the Pioneers were able to keep them off the board.  The game ended in a 1-1 tie.
 
Dawicke played the first 45 minutes in goal for Marietta, she faced three shots on goal, and made two saves in the match.  Carrier made three saves in the second half to preserve the tie.
 
The Pioneers will hit the road this Saturday (Sept. 20) to face Mount St. Joseph University.  The game is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.  

Fans can follow all of the Pioneer teams all year long at pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.