COLUMBUS, Ga. — The No. 12 Catawba College women's soccer team endured a 2-0 setback to No. 6 Columbus State, the top side in regional NPI rankings, at Walden Soccer Complex on Wednesday afternoon.
Catawba (10-3-2) was led offensively by Bree Ehmer with four shots, aiming two on net. Brynn Calendine, Ali Skinner and Alex Eguren tallied one shot apiece with Calendine's placed on target. Skinner and Calendine were the lone Catawba Indians who went the distance as goalkeepers Lauren Zitt and Aisley Snell split time in net to combine for five saves.
Columbus State (12-2-2) possessed a 12-7 advantage in shots while leading 7-3 in shots on goal; Catawba held a 4-2 shooting edge in the second half, but lost the SOG battle 2-1. Corner kicks also favored the hosts by a 9-3 margin. The Catawba Indians played a slightly cleaner match, totaling nine fouls to CSU's eight but the Cougars were issued both of the contest's yellow cards.
The Cougars went on the attack early, triggering six Catawba goal kicks in the first 10 minutes. CSU accounted for the first five shots of the game, two that were stopped by Zitt. Payton Conti broke the seal on the sixth attempt in the 21st minute. After Ehmer fired the initial Catawba shot on goal in the 34th minute, the Cougars had a threatening look in the box that was repelled and missed the frame on a free kick just outside the 18. Calendine had a scoring chance inside the four-minute mark, then helped deny CSU on a few opportunities before halftime.
An even start to the second half included a corner kick and two shots for Catawba while holding the Cougars without a shot for 27 minutes. On the second of two corner kicks midway through the period, CSU intercepted a clearing attempt by Catawba when Sophia Leal sent a long ball into the back of the net and made it 2-0. The Catawba Indians put a deep shot on net in the 81st minute, but Huda Sayedzada hauled it in for her third save of the day. A final effort by the blue and white was foiled by the Cougar defense in the last minute to finalize the result.
The Catawba Indians return home for their final two matches of the regular season, beginning with Senior Day on Saturday, Oct. 24, against Carson-Newman at 2 p.m.
