Women's Soccer Wins in Thrilling Fashion

DEFIANCE, OHIO -  The Defiance College women's soccer team was in action Wednesday afternoon as they welcomed Manchester to Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field. Fans were treated to a thrilling contest as the Yellow Jackets secured a 5-4 victory in double overtime. 

The visitors got off to a quick start as the Spartans found the back of Madi Bowman's (Eaton / Eaton) net twice in the first 12 minutes of action. 

Head Coach Jenny Vincent's side was not going down without a fight as the Yellow Jackets broke through in the 25th minute. Kat Wicher (Toledo / Whitmer) collected the ball just outside the 18-yard box, cut onto her right foot and fired a shot over the outstretched Manchester keeper.

The Purple and Gold sought out an equalizing goal as they continued to pressure the Spartan defense. With under ten minutes left in the half, Maddie Brown (Toledo / Cardinal Stritch Catholic) stepped over a free kick just inside the Yellow Jacket attacking half. The freshman played a long ball into the box where the ball found its way into the path of Sarah Madaras (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Parchment) who finished the shot to equalize the score heading into halftime. 

Fans were not disappointed as the sides came out firing once again in the second half. The Purple and Gold added eight shots to their season best 25 in the second forty-five minutes. It didn't take long for the Yellow Jackets to capitalize as Madaras found the back of the net for the second time in the 51st minute. 

After an equalizing goal from the visitors, the sides found themselves tied at 3-3 with under five minutes to go in regulation. With less than four minutes on the clock, Whitney Webb (Troy / Troy) found some space and hit a shot towards goal, the shot was saved and fell into the path of Blake Newman (Jackson, Mich. / Lumen Christi) who tucked it away for the 4-3 lead. To the dismay of Defiance fans, the Spartans were able to tie the match just 34 seconds later. 

A tense first 10 minutes of overtime saw the Yellow Jackets take five shots, forcing the Manchester keeper into one save. 

As time ticked down it seemed a draw was in the cards for the two sides for a second consecutive meeting. With just 53 seconds left in the contest the Yellow Jackets found an opportunity as Madaras collected a ball on the wing. The junior took a handful of touches and played a ball with pace across the 18-yard box where Webb met the shot with her right foot and beat the Manchester goalkeeper for the game winner. 

Webb's game winner marks her third goal of the 2018 campaign, while Wicher and Madaras each opened their season scoring marks. Newman's goal also finds her tied for a team high three goals on the season. 

Defensively, Bowman's six saves on the day make her just one save shy of tieing her career high in a single season. The junior also finds her name atop two career record lists at Defiance, as her 3,478 career minutes and 365 career saves solidify her atop each of those categories. 

The win brings the Yellow Jacket record to 2-12 on the season, and 2-4 in the HCAC. 

Defiance is next in action Saturday, October 20th as they welcome Mt. St. Jospeh to Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field for a 1:00 pm kickoff.