Demorest, GA – The Piedmont College women’s soccer team caught lightning in a bottle Friday afternoon to pull off a dramatic 2-1 win over visiting Greensboro College at Walker Athletic Complex. With the sun just setting in Demorest, it was defender Elizabeth Gale who would not let midnight toll on her team’s chance at a win at home as she scored the golden goal that handed Piedmont the 1-goal win and another USA South victory.
After a scoreless first half that featured only five shots, fans at Walker Athletic Complex thought perhaps the two squads would continue to stay quiet on a Friday afternoon of USA South soccer action. However, Piedmont had other ideas putting together a spectacular combination play through the air that featured several Lady Lions keeping possession before Savannah Castles would finally volley away the cross from senior Shayna Rogers.
Castles’ 7th goal of the season put Piedmont up 1-0 in the 53rd minute as Rogers collected yet another assist, her 7th of the season as she leads the team in that category. However, despite taking the 2nd half lead and applying a great deal of pressure on the Greensboro defense with three corners and two shots in the next six minutes, the Pride would manage to score against the run of play on a strong breakaway chance in the 65th minute to level the board.
It was the Pride’s Allison Gibson who tallied the score, the USA South’s reigning Player of the Week after earning seven points in a 2-0 showing for the squad last week. Now tied at 1-1, Piedmont had a chance with two shots in the waning minutes to win in regulation, but a save from Greensboro’s Jessica Thatcher kept it even and sent the two in overtime to decide a victor.
For Piedmont, it would be the third overtime contest of the season as the Lady Lions had already picked up a win in OT against Ferrum earlier in the season before battling Methodist to a 0-0 draw over 110 minutes in Fayetteville a few games later.
With the game hanging in the balance, Piedmont had the better of the period as a well placed pass from Megan Hatfield midway through the OT found a waiting Kalyn Dumanowsky whose effort went just over the bar. However, just a few moments later, it would this time be Dumanowsky acting as the creator as she found herself in nearly the exact same spot with just more than 45 seconds remaining on the clock.
It was then that the sophomore heard the voice of Elizabeth Gale, better known as “E” to her Lady Lion teammates, who was making the attacking run from the right back position with the Greensboro defense still shifting to cover. Dumanowsky laid the ball into Gale’s run almost perfectly as the outside back, who had come on as a sub just a few minutes earlier, laced a shot just over the head of Thatcher and into the back of the net sending the Lady Lions onto the field with the golden goal winner, 2-1.
For the junior defender, the goal is the first of her Piedmont career and came at the perfect time with Piedmont moving now to 12-4-1 overall and now 8-1-1 in conference play. The Lady Lions now sit in 2nd place in the USA South standings with 25 points through ten games, but only three points clear of 3rd place Maryville.
Piedmont will not have long to rest as the Lady Lions play host to Averett University, another USA South member, on Saturday, Oct. 25, at Walker Athletic Complex. Kickoff is set for 4:30 pm and action will be carried live on the Mane Event Broadcasting Network.
