READING, Pa. – The Ursinus College women's soccer team rallied back from a second-half deficit Sunday, but despite a late flurry the Bears were unable to net a game-winner and settled for a 1-1 draw at Alvernia.
Junior Mackenzie Groff netted the equalizer in the 76th minute for Ursinus (0-1-1), which had shut out Alvernia each of the past three seasons.
Following a scoreless first half with few chances on either side, the pace picked up in the second period. Madison Harris broke the stalemate in the 55th minute, handing the Golden Wolves (0-1-1) a lead that lasted well into the frame before Ursinus unlocked their defenses. Groff's eighth career goal, which came after she beat a defender in a one-on-situation on the right side of the box, pulled Ursinus to level ground just inside 15 minutes to play.
Both sides had chances in the closing minutes. Junior forward Bridget Rauh hit the post in the 87th minute, and senior Kendall Couch's follow-up effort was saved. Senior Marisa Kalkstein made the deadlock stand up with three saves in the late going, including two in a row with about seven minutes to play and another in the final 30 seconds of the second stanza.
After that the Bears began to impose their will, taking all four shots between the two squads in the extra sessions. Couch forced a stop by Alvernia goalkeeper Jess Plunkett in the 103rd minute, and Groff got her head on a corner kick off the foot of freshman Sabrina Doherty in the 107th, but her effort flew wide.
Kalkstein and Plunkett matched each other with six saves in an evenly played affair. The Bears finished with a 15-13 edge in shots and attempted three corners to Alvernia's one.
Couch recorded a game-high four shots – two of them on frame – for the Bears, with Doherty adding three. Groff and first-years Rachel Coleman and Julia Ewing each chipped in two. Ewing joined fellow freshmen Shannon Blessing, Sarah Lafharis, Emma Russell, and Avery Webster in making their collegiate debuts.
The women's soccer team shoots for its first win of the season when Arcadia visits Patterson Field on Wednesday, September 6.