GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Thomas More University scored two goals in just over a minute late in the second half to come away with a 3-2 victory over Tusculum University in non-conference women's soccer Thursday afternoon at Pioneer Field.
Trailing 2-1, the Saints (1-0-0) tied the match at 2-2 on a goal from Andjela Popovic with 7:46 remaining. Just over a minute later, Bethel Green gave Thomas More the lead for good as she scored at 83:21.
The Pioneers (0-1-0) received goals from Sydney Grant in the 28th minute and freshman Addison Rishling in the 54th minute. Tusculum was outshot 16-11 in the match, including an 8-4 margin in the second half.
Grant had the first scoring opportunity in the sixth minute, but her attempt was stopped by Thomas More keeper Natalie Kindt. The Saints' first shot on goal came as Popovic got in behind the Pioneer defense, but Tusculum keeper Angel Chase came out to smother the attempt.
Chase would stop a shot from the top of the box by Ivy Hoffman in the 13th minute, then leaped to punch out a shot from Emma Fluit in the 25th minute. Tusculum had scoring chances from Tanna Bookhamer in the 16th minute and Hailey Silvestri in the 24th minute, but Kindt was equal to both.
In the 26th minute, the Saints had a corner kick that was played into the box, but the shot attempt from Olivia Mohs was headed off the line by Bookhamer by the Pioneers. Just over a minute later, Grant collected a loose ball at the left side of the box and sent a soaring shot that went past Kindt to the far post at 27:01.
The Pioneers looked like they would carry the 1-0 lead into halftime, but Ashtyn Gindling took a second try at a shot attempt and beat Chase with just 13.7 seconds left to lift the Saints into a 1-1 deadlock at intermission.
In the second half, Noemie Tartrou went into goal for the Pioneers and was tested early as she came up with a diving stop of a shot from Hoffman in the 50th minute. In response, Tusculum went up 2-1 at 53:46 as a cross from Bookhamer went to Rishling, who fired a shot off Kindt's dive into the far bottom corner for her first career goal.
Tusculum seemed poised to take the 2-1 lead to the end as the clock went under 10 minutes, but Popovic delivered the equalizer as she took a pass from Green at the top of the box, sidestepped a defender and beat Tartrou at 82:14.
Moments later, Green took a long feed from Gindling down the left side, cut to the goal and slipped a shot under Tartrou for the go-ahead goal at 83:21. Tusculum would have one more scoring chance, but a shot attempt from inside the box by Aniya Fisher was stopped by Kindt with under two minutes left.
Tusculum had a 5-4 edge in corner kicks in the match, while the Pioneers were called for 11 fouls to seven for the Saints.
Kindt ended the match with five saves for the Saints, while Chase had four stops in the first half and Tartrou added three in the second half.
Tusculum will head to the road to take on West Alabama on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 1 p.m. Eastern time (noon local time). The teams played to a 2-2 draw last season at Pioneer Field.
