GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Payton DeHart scored with 3:44 left in double overtime to lift Tusculum College to a 1-0 victory over Newberry College in South Atlantic Conference women's soccer action Sunday afternoon at Pioneer Field.
DeHart converted a pass from Katja Andersson for the Pioneers (6-2-2, 4-0-1 SAC), who outshot the Wolves (3-8-0, 1-4-0 SAC) by a 6-0 margin in overtime and 17-6 overall in the match.
After a scoreless 90 minutes, the Pioneers applied sustained pressure in the first overtime period and were nearly rewarded with the game-winner with 1:11 left as a shot by Carlie Thornber was deflected by Wolves keeper Kodi Jean Johnson off the top of the crossbar. DeHart then supplied the game-winner as she took a cross from Andersson and beat Johnson for her first goal of the season.
Tusculum had played to draws in each of its previous two overtime games this season. Tusculum outshot Newberry 4-3 in the first half, but almost all of the scoring chances were of high quality. The Pioneers' Sonja Ballmert had a shot go off Johnson and then the crossbar in the 5th minute, while the Wolves' Lindsay Huber hit the post with a close-range try in the 28th minute.
In the second half, the Pioneers had back-to-back chances in the 69th minute, but a shot by Thornber was blocked and the follow-up chance by Rachel Roberts was cradled by Johnson. Tusculum outshot Newberry 7-3 in the second half, but Johnson came up with five of her six saves in regulation to keep the match scoreless.
Johnson made six saves total for the Wolves, while Pioneer keeper Miriah Martin had one save in her third straight shutout. Martin has not allowed a goal in exactly 325 minutes spanning the last four matches for Tusculum.
Newberry was whistled for 18 fouls in the match to 16 by Tusculum, and each team was shown one yellow card. Tusculum had an 8-7 edge in corner kicks, while Newberry was flagged twice for offsides.
Tusculum will return to action Wednesday evening when the Pioneers host Brevard in a SAC match at 7 p.m. at Pioneer Field.
