SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- Sophia Vandersee scored the game-tying goal in the 59th minute on an assist from fellow rookie Kendal Drezins, and the Mount Holyoke College soccer team went on to earn a 1-1 draw against visiting DeSales University in an exciting non-conference game on Sunday afternoon.
It was the Lyons' first-ever game against DeSales, a Middle Atlantic Conference member from Center Valley, Pa.
The visiting Bulldogs (0-3-1) outshot Mount Holyoke (1-1-1) by a 34-14 margin, including a 22-7 difference in the second half. But the Lyons were successful in limiting the quality of the Bulldogs' shots, and senior captain Anna Kennedy (Glendale, Wis.) played an outstanding game at sweeper, snuffing out a multitude of scoring chances for DeSales. First-year defender Amelia Taylor (Littleton, Mass.) was also outstanding in back for Mount Holyoke, while senior captain Clarissa Govea (Pico Rivera, Calif.) starred in goal with nine saves, about half of which were high-difficulty stops.
DeSales took a 1-0 lead in the 40th minute, as Catherine Crampton's cross from the right squeezed between Govea and junior defender Sydney Wiser (Olney, Md.), leaving Emily Mulroony with an easy tap-in for her second goal of the season.
Mount Holyoke nearly scored in the 39th minute when DeSales keeper Ava Kichline was caught far out of the Bulldogs' goal after racing out to block a shot by Lyons junior Evie Krieg (Frisco, Texas). The ball bounced out to Lyons senior back Jane Harmon (Ashburnham, Mass.), who sent a long ball from near half field toward the DeSales goal. But DeSales defender Sammy Fanger alertly raced back toward the goal and tracked down the ball in time to poke it out of harm's way.
Mount Holyoke tied the game with 31:30 left. Drezins (Slidell, La.) slotted a perfect lead pass between two DeSales defenders to Vandersee (Waterloo, Iowa) running straight up the middle. Vandersee took one dribble into the penalty area, then pushed the ball past Kichline and into the left-side netting.
The Lyons nearly scored a go-ahead goal in the final minute, when junior Sage Hudson (Washington, D.C.) got past Kichline inside the DeSales penalty area, but sent her shot off the right post.
Mount Holyoke will next host Wentworth Institute on Wednesday at 7pm. DeSales plays at Susquehanna University on Friday at 7pm.
