MARYVILLE – Seniors
Sydney Mahr and
Sierra Lee saved the match for Maryville, and the Scots salvaged a 1-1 draw against future Southern Athletic Association foe Sewanee here Wednesday night.
Mahr gave up a goal, but it was an own goal that never should have been. She also saved a first-half penalty kick that proved decisive. It was shades of 2022, when Mahr was called upon in goal during the Collegiate Conference of the South Tournament and led the Scots to a penalty-kick shootout win over Belhaven before saving two more penalties in the championship match.
Lee, meanwhile, scored in her fourth consecutive match for the first time in her illustrious career. She has single goals against Westfield State, Centre, Bob Jones and now Sewanee to take over the lead in the CCS and bring her Maryville total to 34 goals in 67 career matches. The Hendersonville senior stands eight goals shy of reaching the Maryville career records chart.
"We made a little bit of a mistake on the goal we gave up, but Sierra has been coming through in the clutch for four years and she did it again," Maryville head coach
Pepe Fernandez said. "And you have to give Syd a lot of credit for saving the penalty. That has kind of been her specialty. You never like giving up a penalty, but you like having Syd in there if it happens."
Lee scored in three consecutive matches on two previous occasions. She scored six goals over a three-match stretch in 2022 against Berea, LaGrange and Berea; and then she scored four goals over a three-match run of 2023 against Wesleyan, Huntingdon and Berea.
Chase Finds Lee in Range
Chloe Chase assisted Wednesday's goal, setting up Lee for a strike into the left corner of the goal in the 80th minute to tie the match. Sewanee took the lead in the 73rd minute via an own goal off a corner kick that trickled over the line via the accidental shove by a slew of Maryville defenders.
Shots slightly favored the Tigers 11-10, although Maryville had 53 percent of the ball possession. Sewanee attempted six corner kicks to Maryville's two. Mahr made five saves to one for Sewanee's Leah Atkins.
Lee and
Madison McDonald fired three shots apiece for the Scots, with both putting one on target. Lee nearly scored in the 33rd minute, but her shot from mid-range went high over the bar.
Hannah Smoot attempted a pair of shots for Maryville. Sewanee's Arianna Shirak had five shots, with three on target.
The Scots are 1-1-3 and set to host Roanoke on Sunday at 1 p.m. Sewanee is now 3-0-2.
"We have really put our team through the ringer," Fernandez said. "They have not had an easy game, and they've played five games in 10 days. That is a lot of soccer. And we have another good team coming in here Sunday with Roanoke.
"We are just trying to get them ready for the conference. We know they are a good group, and we think they will be ready."
