DECATUR, Ga.—Jasmine Young (Albany, Ga.) provided the magic touch with 43 seconds left in regulation to help Agnes Scott defeat Sewanee for the first time in program history. A short-handed Scottie side got a big boost from the junior midfielder when she lofted a ball too high for the retreating Tiger keeper to make a clean save on, sending Agnes Scott to its second consecutive victory.
The Scotties improve to 3-3-1 this season and enter USA South Conference play this weekend when they host Covenant on Saturday afternoon. Sewanee remains winless at 0-6-2.
Senior Caitlynn Croft (LaGrange, Ga.) celebrated her winning the USA South Player of the Week award with two goals in the first 20 minutes of regulation. The first came when Croft corralled a ball from central midfield after Zoey Perchaluk's (Fort Erie, Ont.) breakaway attempt was broken up by the Sewanee defender. Seeing the goalkeeper way off her mark, Croft sent a perfect arcing ball under the crossbar for the first goal in the 15th minute.
Croft struck again not four minutes later when Aina Stratton (Lake Toxaway, N.C.) turned a ball to the left side to meet her teammate in stride. The two-on-two quickly turned in the Scotties favor and Croft buried a ball past the approaching keeper for the 2-0 lead.
Sewanee was undeterred from the deficit, chipping away at the Scotties defense trying to keep it together under the heat and a lack of substitutes due to injury. The Tigers tested the Scotties' resolve with 11 attempts in the first half, many coming after Agnes took a 2-0 advantage.
A foul just inside midfield led to a perfect free kick taken by Gillian Campbell (Dallas, Texas). The first-year sent a ball on a direct line over Abby Ackerson's (Hoover, Ala.) head to make it a 2-1 game in the 31st minute.
The Tigers roared back completely just three minutes following Campbell's strike when Savannah Williams (Chattanooga, Tenn.) toe-poked a cross from Paige Rupp (East Windsor, N.J.) past a sliding Ackerson.
The game remained 2-2 deep into the game with both teams dealing with the weather-related fatigue. However, it was the home team that capitalized on the final big moment.
Nia Coates (Pooler, Ga.) and Young found themselves with room on the right side of their offensive third. Coates was able to shield the ball after an initial deflection and get just enough on it to send it out to Young. Sewanee keeper Abigail Frazier (Huntsville, Ala.) tried to get back to her line after coming up to stop the initial run from Coates, but could only get a soft hand on Young's looping shot from 25 yards out. The ball took one bounce and hit the back of the net.
Sewanee outshot Agnes Scott 17-9 for the game, but Ackerson made five stops compared to only one in a split effort for the Tigers.
Quick Hits
- Croft has come alive over the last few matches, scoring four goals in four games after only attempt three shots in the Scotties' first three contests. The senior had her first multi-goal game since scoring a hat-trick at home against LaGrange last fall.
- Agnes began the game with a lifetime 0-11 mark against Sewanee since becoming a NCAA member institution. The Tigers won last year's affair, 4-1, earning their first win of 2017.