RIPON, Wis. – The Beloit College women's soccer team opened Midwest Conference action this evening against the Ripon College Red Hawks at Hopp Stadium. Beloit's back line and goalkeeper Sophia Dietz (Schaumburg, IL) absorbed a heavy second-half push from the Red Hawks to preserve the tie.
Beloit (1-4-1, 0-0-1 MWC) and Ripon (2-4-1, 0-1-1 MWC) finished level after 90 minutes.
The Buccaneers were the more dangerous side early. Calypso Ayoung (Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago) tested Ripon goalkeeper Kaitlan Adkins less than a minute in, and Beloit put six shots on the board in the first half to Ripon's five.
The breakthrough came in the 25th minute, when Grace Christos (Valporariso, IN) found the net for an unassisted goal, her second of the season. It put Beloit up 1-0 and was the first goal of the match.
Ripon answered quickly. Just under two minutes later, at 26:22, Rebecca Roszel scored her first goal of the season, set up by Alyssa Klementzos, to make it 1-1. That was the last goal of the night.
Beloit kept pressing before halftime. Ayoung forced a save from Adkins in the 28th minute, and Christos followed with a shot on target in the 30th that Adkins also saved. Beloit led 4-3 in shots on target at the break.
Ripon controlled most of the second half. The Red Hawks took four shots to Beloit's one and won five more corner kicks, finishing with an 11-1 edge in corners and 57 percent of possession. Beloit didn't let any of it turn into a goal.
Dietz went the full 90 minutes and made two saves, both in the first half. Ripon's four second-half attempts were a blocked shot, two off target and one sailing high, so she wasn't forced into a save after halftime. Defenders Mikayla Campbell (Madison, WI), Zyana Turcios (Elmwood Park, Ill.), Sydney Rausch (Boise, ID) and Fianne Makela (Duluth, MN), along with midfielder Maggie Wood (Bangkok, Thailand), all played all 90 minutes in front of her. Alejandra Martinez-Bates (Chicago, IL) logged 81.
Beloit outshot Ripon on target (4-3), though Ripon led overall shots 9-7. Neither team was shown a card. Beloit committed four fouls to Ripon's six, and Ripon was flagged for the match's only offside, in the final minute.
The Buccaneers are back at the Strong Complex Soccer field on Friday afternoon when they welcome non-conference opponent, Marian University. Kick off against the Sabres is set for 4:30 p.m.
