SALISBURY, N.C. — The 18th-ranked Catawba College women's soccer team found the back of the net in the 89th minute to defeat Coker, 3-2, in the final match of the regular season on Wednesday night at Frock Field.
Cadence Setzer contributed to all three goals, scoring one with an assist on the two others. Bree Ehmer notched her 10th career brace using two goals including the game-winning strike, her 18th decider in blue and white. Lauren Zitt manned the net with three saves on five attempts to improve to 10-4-1 on the year. She saw 90 minutes of action along with Ryen Gibbs, Brynn Calendine and Reese Robinson.
The Catawba Indians (11-4-2, 8-1-1 SAC) broke into double figures in shots for the fourth time in five contests, but Coker (7-6-4, 3-4-3 SAC) held a narrow 14-11 advantage in the category. On-target tries also favored the Cobras by a slight 5-4 margin. Catawba barely won the corner kick battle 7-6; three goals in the match stemmed from the corner flag. The contest was notably clean as the teams committed two fouls apiece with no cards issued.
Coker supplied the first shot on goal of the night and drew a corner kick in the eighth minute, but Catawba cleared it out. The Catawba Indians drew their first corner kick a few possessions later as Setzer punched it to the 6-yard box, finding Ehmer for a header that got through. A host of Catawba shots attacked the Cobra net with only one requiring a save. Coker saw one shot fly wide and one blocked before an offside toward the end of the half, keeping it 1-0 at the break.
The visitors leveled it when Catriona McNeil struck on a corner sent in by Grace Sykes. Less than four minutes later, back-to-back corner kicks for the blue and white led to Setzer lofting a kick from the flag over the keeper's head and into the twine. The hosts' euphoria was short-lived as Coker closed the gap with an unassisted blast by Ella Wilke in the 67th minute. Rather than playing for a tie, the Cobras hammered down offensively with four shots in the next 12 minutes with Zitt bagging a save.
Following substitutions to get fresh legs, Catawba surged into the attacking half as the last few minutes set in. Setzer hustled into the box and booted a crossing pass off a Coker defender where it landed at Ehmer's feet, setting her up for a one-timer with the right for the go-ahead score. Sofie Sjoedin ripped a shot in the final seconds that Zitt halted, preserving a 3-2 victory in the regular season finale.
As a result of clinching the regular season championship two weeks ago, Catawba is the No. 1 seed in the South Atlantic Conference Championship Tournament. They open the postseason at home against No. 8 seed Anderson on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 5:30 p.m.
