GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Georgia College erased a pair of second-half deficits and defeated Tusculum University 3-2 in non-conference women's soccer action Wednesday afternoon at Pioneer Field.
Alexis Bergamini scored the tiebreaking goal in the 64th minute for the Bobcats (7-3-0), who trailed 1-0 and 2-1 but scored equalizing goals before Bergamini's game-winner. Georgia College outshot Tusculum 22-10 in the match.
Kenzie Ellenburg and Yvette Raaijen scored goals for the Pioneers (2-8-0), who lost their third straight one-goal match and fell to 0-5 in games decided by a goal. Emma Harriman finished with a season-high 10 saves for the Pioneers, who led 1-0 at halftime despite being outshot 10-2 by the Bobcats.
Ellenburg had the first shot of the match in the opening minute, but her blast from 35 yards was handled by Georgia College keeper Kate Richardson. The teams would play nearly 6 1/2 minutes without a shot, until Ellenburg took a feed down the right side from Myah Giordullo and launched a shot from a sharp angle that lofted over Richardson and into the goal for her fourth of the season at 7:24.
Georgia College would pepper the Tusculum goal after Ellenburg's tally, but Harriman made saves on Becca Morris in the ninth minute, Summer Ligon in the 18th minute and Morris again in the 23rd minute. Harriman came up with her best save of the first half in the 30th minute, making a lunging stop on a one-timer by Cassie Balzano from 10 yards out, and added her fifth save on Morgan Amrozowicz in the 33rd minute.
The 1-0 lead stood into the second half, and Tusculum's Bailey Bylotas nearly made it 2-0 just 90 seconds in but Richardson was able to deny her on a lunge from 10 yards away. At the other end, a shot by Morris was deflected by the hand of a Pioneer defender inside the box and resulted in a penalty kick. The Bobcats' Brooke Adams stepped up and went left on Harriman for her first goal of the season and a 1-1 deadlock at 47:23.
Tusculum regained the lead at 54:01 as the Pioneers were awarded a free kick following a Bobcat foul, and Raaijen rocked a shot from 30 yards out past Richardson to give Tusculum the lead back at 2-1. The lead would be short-lived, as Georgia College took advantage of a loose ball in the box and Balzano had an open net for her eighth of the season at 55:35.
Harriman worked to keep the game level, making a save on a bouncer from Balzano in the 57th minute and a kneeling save on a try by Alyssa Bergamini in the 58th minute. Tusculum nearly went up 2-1 in the 63rd minute, as Kaitlyn Watson took a free kick but caromed the ball off the far post and Raaijen chipped the rebound over the crossbar.
The winning goal would come at 63:21 as Morris sent a long pass down the right side to Alexis Bergamini, whose shot from 15 yards deflected off her defender and redirected past Harriman to give Georgia College its first lead at 3-2.
Tusculum attempted to find the equalizer, but Ellenburg was wide left on a corner in the 76th minute. Harriman kept it a one-goal margin in the 85th minute as she knocked down a shot by Brooke Adams off a corner kick. Ellenburg had another effort with just under four minutes left, but Richardson punched her header over the crossbar.
Georgia College went to the corner in an effort to bleed off the final two minutes, but Tusculum gained possession with 30 seconds left and moved downfield. Watson had a last-gasp attempt from 20 yards in the last 10 seconds for the Pioneers, but Richardson's fourth and final save of the match was a routine stop as the clock moved toward zero.
The Bobcats finished with 10 corner kicks, including seven in the first half, while the Pioneers had all four of their corner kicks in the final 28 minutes. Georgia College was called for 10 fouls to six for Tusculum, with each team receiving one caution.
The Pioneers will play the second of four straight home matches on Saturday as Newberry visits for a 2 p.m. South Atlantic Conference match.
- TU -
