COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Capital University women's soccer team faced a big time opponent on Saturday as they welcomed Ohio Northern University to town for a mid-day match at Bernlohr Stadium. The Comets and the Polar Bears came into the game both near the top of the table and jostling for key position in the conference standings as the OAC season gets into full swing. The Purple and White also had revenge on their minds as ONU had knocked them out of the OAC tournament the past two seasons. The Comets held the upper hand for most of the game, however a late goal from the Polar Bears led to the teams splitting the points with a 2-2 draw.

The tie is Capital's second of the season as they now sit at 6-2-2 overall with a 2-0-1 record within the conference

Ohio Northern stays a step below at 6-1-4 overall with a 1-0-2 OAC record.


HOW IT HAPPENED
It was nothing short of a battle between the two top squads as neither wanted to let the other have the advantage in the game or in the table. It was a back-and-forth game in the early going. Each side had their fair share of chances in the first ten minutes. Eventually, the Comets broke through the ONU defense and netted the first goal of the game in the 13th minute. The goal came from Grace Estes – her first of the year – courtesy of an assist from Nicole Ogden.

The roles quickly changed as Ohio Northern pushed to equalize and the Comets stuck to prioritizing defense. ONU's new role would eventually win out with a goal off the foot of Alyssa Beckett just eight minutes later, assisted by Alexa Clampitt. Back even, scoring became a priority for the Comets again, and it showed. 

Over the next 15 minutes, the Comets would fire off 6 unanswered shots, ultimately with the sixth being the ticket to moving back into the lead as it was deposited into the back of the net by Sophia Leonetti. It came at the back end of a crazy series of events, starting with an ONU foul about 15 yards outside the box. The ensuing free kick was taken by Lexi Snider who, barring intervention from the keeper, would have struck it straight into the upper left corner of the goal. However, the keeper did intervene and tipped off the crossbar and back out into the box. From there, it would fall to the feet of Leonetti who took one touch and fired a low and slow shot through the defense and into the bottom right corner for the go-ahead goal. With a new energy, Capital headed to halftime, up 2-1. 

In the second half it was a slightly different story as the Capital offense seemed to stall out and Ohio Northern began to push to equalize once again. It felt like the ball was in the Purple and White's defensive zone for minutes at a time, occasionally being cleared just to return shortly after. As time began to run out, the fate of the game lay in whether or not the Comets could hold on until the finish. Unfortunately, after tremendous pressure from the ONU offense, the Polar Bears were able to break through and score the equalizer with just under four minutes remaining. With the score once again all square, the final minutes would play out relatively uneventfully and the contest would end in a draw, 2-2.


THE NUMBERS
Capital took a total of 11 shots in the game, nine of which were on target. The 81.8-percent shot on goal percentage is their highest of the year so far. 

Grace Estes scored the first goal of the day, her first of the season. It was her only shot of the game.

Sophia Leonetti netted Cap's second score, her second of the season. In total, she took three shots, all on target.

Lexi Snider and Avery Hart each took two shots. Snider was perfect in terms of accuracy with both of her tries reaching their target. Hart went 1-for-2 in on-target shots.

Madeline Woodruff, Haley Moore, and Catherine Zugaro made up the remaining three chances for the Comets. Zugaro's was the only to fall off line.

Senior keeper Lauren White was back in goal for Capital after having the day off on Wednesday against Wilmington. She played the entire 90, making six saves against 14 shots faced.

The Purple and White were responsible for nine fouls. The only card of the game was received by Sophia Leonetti as she saw yellow in the 72nd minute.


THE OPPONENT
Ohio Northern took 14 shots, nine on target.

Alyssa Beckett and Jill Roberts were the goal-scorers on the day for the Polar Bears.

Becky Moss spent the day in goal for ONU. She made seven saves. 


UP NEXT
Capital will hit the road next Wednesday, October 12, traveling to New Concord for a date with Muskingum. The Comets and the Muskies will kick off at 7:00 p.m.