Box Score

Morrow, Ga.----The Wingate University women's soccer team made a valiant rally, scoring three second half goals to forge a 3-3 season-opening, double overtime tie with Clayton State University Thursday night. Clayton State led 3-0 at halftime, but the South Atlantic Conference member Bulldogs scored three second half goals (in 19 minutes) to tie the Southeast Region contest. Wingate faces the University of Montevallo (Ala.) Saturday at 1 p.m., also at Clayton State.
 
"Sometimes, there is only one way to go…up," Wingate head coach Chip Wiggins says. "We wanted to follow our game plan. In the first half, we weren't linking in the attacking third of the field. We weren't pressuring them on defense."
 
"In the second half, we found our direction," Wiggins says. "I think our first goal rattled them. We started believing…'hey, we can do this.' We had some opportunities in the final 20 minutes of regulation…and in both overtimes…to score the match winner. We will keep working and keep improving."
 
Wingate junior forward Jade Montgomery (Monroe, N.C.) started the Bulldogs' rally with an unassisted goal in the 50th minute. The nation's leading scorer in 2012, Montgomery added an assist on the match-tying goal.
 
Eight minutes later, Wingate sophomore defender Lindsay Hyde (Shirley, Mass.) took a pass from senior midfielder Taryn Grivois (Murrieta, Calif.) and scored from the middle of the field. Hyde's tally is her first collegiate goal.
 
The Bulldogs tied the contest in the 70th minute as freshman forward Brooke Howell (Charlotte, N.C.) recorded her first collegiate goal in her first match in the Navy Blue and Vegas Gold. The Ardrey Kell product benefitted from Montgomery's assist following a Wingate corner kick.
 
Wingate had two corner kick opportunities in the waning moments of the second overtime, but could not find the back of the nets. Bulldog junior midfielder Katie Simpson Eiss (Indian Trail, N.C.) took a shot in the 105th minute, while Hyde had a good look in the 99th minute. The host Lakers took three shots in the two extra frames, including one by CSU freshman forward Denisha Paskell (McDonough, Ga.).
 
Paskell wasted little time scoring her first career goal, finding the back of the nets in the seventh minute. She was assisted on the play by sophomore forward Brooke Bortles (Suwanee, Ga.). Paskell completed her two-goal night in the 37th minute, thanks to an assist from junior forward Melissa Hetherington (Burnley, England).
 
Less than three minutes later, Hetherington converted an opportunity from 15 yards out to make the score 3-0 Clayton State. The junior college transfer was assisted on the play by junior defender Emily Walling (Fountain Valley, Calif.). The Lakers outshot the Bulldogs 11-2 in the first half.
 
Wingate returned the favor, claiming an 11-7 shot advantage during the second half. Clayton State compiled 21 shots to Wingate's 15 attempts. The Bulldogs tried 10 corner kicks, compared to four for the Lakers.
 
Both goalkeepers went the distance, playing 110 minutes each. Wingate freshman goalkeeper Lauren Schoonover (Lake Stevens, Wash.) had eight saves. CSU sophomore goalkeeper Charlotte McCormack (Wexford, Ireland) had five saves. Clayton State will face Queens University of Charlotte Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Royals defeated the Montevallo Falcons 3-1 in Thursday's early contest. Queens and Coker joined the SAC in July.