Emmanuel College Sports Information Department

Ellie Chapman

Aiken, Sc. --- The Emmanuel College Women's Soccer team traveled to Aiken South Carolina on Saturday evening to take on the University of South Carolina Aiken Pacers. The Pacers came out hard early forcing Emmanuel goalkeeper Breanna Grizzle to make some important early saves. The Pacers were then forced to continue the match with only 10 players from the 24 minute mark after two successive yellow cards were distributed to a player for language violations. The two teams battled evenly for the remainder of the first half, the score locked at 0-0 at the main break.

The Pacers came out in force once again in the second half. A poorly cleared corner in the 51st minute proved costly for the Lions as the Pacer's Hannah Allison found the back of the net with a well-directed header. The Lions responded strongly by taking back possession and pushing downfield where freshman Hanna Watson forced a save from Pacers goalkeeper Nicole Cranny.

The Lions netted their first goal for the season in the 61st minute when junior Emma Tamblyn's free kick was deflected by senior forward Liene Vaciete, and eventually headed into the right upper side of the goal by junior defender Ellie Chapman. Unfortunately the Lions were not able to stem the force of the Pacers on set plays, allowing Hannah Allison to net the game winning header in the 63rdminute.

"Tonight was a hard fought game for both teams and at this level of play, every little thing can be the difference between a win or a loss" said Head Coach Forrest Wimberly. "Our team showed a lot of resolve to battle back and tie the game, but we just came up short in the end." Emmanuel is now 0-1 on the season and will be looking for their first win when they take on King University in their home opener on Saturday September 13. The match is set for a 5pm kickoff at the Stevens Athletic complex, Franklin Springs.