CHICAGO -- The fifth-ranked University of Chicago women's soccer team battled to a 2–2 draw against sixth-ranked Case Western Reserve University on Saturday afternoon in an intense UAA showdown.
The Maroons raced out of the gates quickly with a pair of shots by Indira Naylor in the first five minutes of the game. However, Case Western Reserve would end up striking first in the 28th minute as Mackenzie Mueller found Abby Welker on a long ball, and Welker slipped a shot past the diving keeper for the opening goal.
Under six minutes later, the Maroons earned a corner kick, and Annabel Edwards whipped a perfect ball into the box, finding the head of Mary Stuart Kerrigan, who played it back across goal, beating the Case Western keeper for the equalizer. Kerrigan has now scored four goals in three UAA games this season.
The Maroons had a great chance for the go-ahead goal just before half with Mary Roberts ringing the crossbar with a strike from distance in the 40th minute, but the two teams would enter the half level at one despite a 6-2 shot advantage for the Maroons.
Case Western Reserve found the go-ahead goal early in the second half with Mackenzie Mueller connected on another long ball, this time to Ceci Depino, and Depino finished far post for the 2-1 advantage.
The Maroons responded quickly for the second time in the game though as Lucy Harrison-Caldwell struck a free kick from 25 yards out into the top-right corner of the goal to level the score at two.
UChicago had multiple other chances in the next ten minutes to take the lead as Harrison-Caldwell had a great look saved by the Case Western keeper, and Gabriella Jensen rang another ball off the crossbar. Sophia Sasaki came up with two saves in the final seven minutes to seal the draw for the Maroons.
UChicago outshot Case Western 14-5 in the game, and the Maroons held a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks. Naylor led the team with four shots, and Hadley Hagwell and Jamie Nguyen led the UChicago defense and midfield with a full 90 minutes of action.
With the draw, the Maroons move to 11-0-2 on the season and 2-0-1 in UAA play. UChicago returns to action with a doubleheader weekend next weekend as they take on #1 Emory on Friday and #21 Rochester on Sunday.
