Box Score GOSHEN, Ind. — Beatriz Meneghin scored a golden goal in the 98th minute after Areanna Holifield drew the Goshen College women's soccer team level in the first half as the Maple Leafs edged Indiana Tech 2-1 in overtime Saturday night at the John Ingold Athletic Complex.
The Warriors (4-3) got on the scoreboard first as Bailey Elliott's free kick curved around the Maple Leaf wall and inside the far post in the seventh minute. Indiana Tech took the game's first three shots, but Goshen (5-2) would answer with three of their own before the 25-minute mark.
Goshen, which won its fourth straight game for the first time since September 2013, put its first shot on target in the 24th minute on a sliding try by Bella Larsen. After the initial salvo, the Maple Leaf defense held Indiana Tech without a shot for more than 25 minutes.
GC pulled even with 10:09 left in the first half on a Meneghin corner kick. The ball fell into the left side of the penalty area for Holifield to finish, getting the sophomore her first goal of the season. Anne Nisley nearly put the home side in front three minutes later, hitting the crossbar within a minute after substituting into the game for the first time.
The game reached halftime 1-1, with each team taking 7 shots and substituting 4 times. The level theme continued for most of the second stanza, with neither team able to score at all or lead by more than one shot until the 83rd minutes.
Indiana Tech netminder Ally Zenda made 10 saves, half of which came in the second period of regulation. Perhaps her most memorable effort came on a Meneghin shot from distance in the final six minutes, which she parried up and over the crossbar to force a corner.
Tech had four of its 12 corner kicks in the last five minutes of regulation, prompting three saves from Katie Baer and a number of deflections from the Maple Leaf defense. Baer also finished with 10 stops, passing Rachel Springer for seventh place in Goshen program history with 315 saves.
Neither team tested the defense in the first half of the extra session, which was scheduled for 10 minutes, except perhaps for a Warrior corner kick in the 93rd minute.
Meneghin won a corner with three minutes remaining, and after the initial ball was cleared, she served another ball into the box. It never found another player, but it didn't need to, sneaking into the side netting with 2:17 left to give Goshen its third overtime win of the season.
Meneghin led all players with 5 shots, 4 of which were on target. Indiana Tech had 3 shots on goal from Elaina Monroe and Bailey Elliott, leading Goshen 16-15 in total attempts. Goshen held a slight 12-11 margin in shots on goal, overcoming a 12-3 corner kick deficit.
After three days off, Goshen enters the nine-match Crossroads League gauntlet on Wednesday, beginning a span that sees the team play three ranked opponents and two receiving votes over the next 29 days. The Maple Leafs have the added disadvantage of opening on the road, although it will be the team's shortest road trip of the season to Bethel University in Mishawaka. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Morey Field.
