WENHAM, Mass. (Oct. 9) -- Two 45 minute halves and two 10 minute overtime periods were not enough to provide a winner, as Gordon battled visiting Nichols to a 1-1 tie in The Commonwealth Coast Conference women's soccer action Saturday afternoon.  The draw moves the Scots' record to 7-5-1 and 3-4-1 in the TCCC.  The Bison are now 8-4-1, and 3-4-1 in league play.

Playing with a strong wind at their backs in the first half, Gordon controlled the play, outshooting Nichols 8-0 and holding an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.  Freshman Kendra Woudenberg nearly had a goal in the 31st minute but her header sailed just over the cross bar.

Nichols began to get their offense on track in the second half as they registered their first shot on goal early in the stanza.  However, the score remained 0-0 until Gordon senior Kelly Donlan broke the tie with a stunning goal in the 73rd minute.  Donlan collected a loose ball off a corner kick and ripped a shot from the top of the box.  Her attempt struck high off the cross bar and went straight up above the goal.  After hitting the ground, the ball spun backwards over the goal line, staking the Scots to a 1-0 lead.

With time running down, Nichols continued playing strong and rallied to tie the score in the 82nd minute.  Kaitlyn DiBuono (Auburn, Mass.) drove a perfectly placed ball behind the Gordon defense and Samantha Abro (Northborogh, Mass.)  collected the pass and beat a diving Keri Christensen to knot the score at 1-1 and send the match into overtime.

The 20 minutes of extra play featured a number of opportunities for both sides, but neither was able to pick up the decisive goal.  Gordon outshot Nichols 5-4 in OT and 21-12 overall. 

“Our team played with real heart through the entire game,” said Head Coach Damir Pesa. “They kept the intensity for the entire 110 minutes and played a great game today.”

Christensen made 3 saves for Gordon, while her counterpart Maureen Lynch (Holbrook, Mass.) had 5 stops for Nichols.

Gordon will play host to Colby-Sawyer at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 13.  Nichols will host Regis at 3:30 p.m. on the same day.

Story courtesy Gordon College Sports Information

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