Two Late Strikes Lift Eagles to Home Draw
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Trailing by two goals deep into the second half, the Eagles were hoping their top attackers would come through and lift them to a positive result. And come through they did: both Kirryn Killingsworth and Morgan Pettlon scored in the final 16 minutes, helping Avila (0-3-3) rally all the way back to earn a 2-2 draw against Harris-Stowe (3-1-1) on Wednesday afternoon at The Z.
It's Avila's third draw of the season, and all three of them (vs. Park, at Southwestern Christian and now vs. Harris-Stowe) have only been possible due to heroics late in the second half. The Eagles didn't need a goal in the final five minutes, or the final 50 seconds, like they did in the past, but what was impressive about this rally is that it came from almost out of nowhere: Avila had only attempted two shots, with none on target, in the entire match before Killingsworth's goal got the Eagles on the board, and got them fully up and running.
But this latest second-half comeback wouldn't have been possible without the work of the Avila defense, which featured many players moving through different positions and roles due to injuries and availability throughout the course of the game. And the comeback certainly wouldn't have been possible without the efforts of goalkeeper Saida Soriano. The junior from KCK made her Avila debut as a field player last week against Benedictine and started her first career game in goal against Harris-Stowe and turned in a sparkling performance with 10 saves. Many of those stops were full extension to take away the bottom corners of the net, keeping Avila in the game even when the team couldn't generate chances on the other side.
Top Hornet goal scorer Rachael Manley beat Soriano with a killer strike halfway through the first half and Jasmin Kraus doubled that lead about eight minutes into the second. The Eagles managed only one shot attempt in the first half, but looked reenergized and motivated in the second half, even after conceding that second goal.
Over the next 15 minutes, Soriano stopped five shots and Suzie Lopez blocked another one to help keep the Eagles within striking distance. Meanwhile, the offense steadily continued to gain ground and push into Hornet territory until finally, Kirryn Killingsworth was played into the attacking third where she simply outmuscled Harris-Stowe centerback Lillian Ruckeberle to get into the center of the pitch, and blasted a shot past Ondrea Montgomery to put the Eagles on the board.
With 16 minutes to play, Avila finally had its breakthrough. Undeterred, the Hornets got one more shot off that Soriano denied, bringing her game total up to ten. And shortly after that, the Eagles were right back to work. Freshly returned to the game, Miriam Solorio cranked a through ball from the center of the pitch down the right alley to a streaking Morgan Pettlon, and she did the rest, taking advantage of her angle around the defense and uncorking a shot into the top half of the net. With 10:01 on the clock, Avila had once again fought all the way back.
With the match once again tied, the Hornets brought all their best attackers back onto the pitch, looking to find a late winner. But the Eagle defense stepped up to block two bids and make a couple of clearances off corners over the final few minutes, preserving their hard-earned 2-2 victory.
This was Avila's final scheduled non-conference match of the season, so next up for Avila women's soccer is their first KCAC match of the 2022 campaign. That comes up this Saturday, September 17, in North Newton, Kansas against Bethel, with kickoff scheduled for 5 PM. Tickets can be purchased online, and you can watch all the action on the KCAC Network.
