WENHAM, Mass.—Emerson's Paige Haley ended a 1-1 tie in the first overtime by finishing off a deflection in the 18-yard box to hand Gordon its second consecutive defeat in extra time. The Fighting Scots battled back from a first-half deficit to tie the game late, but the Lions persistent offense came through in the clutch on Saturday afternoon on the Quad.

 

The Lions' offense was the story of the game and consistently put Gordon's defense under duress. Emerson put 20 of 25 shots on target compared to only 12 and nine for the Fighting Scots.

 

McKenzie Dion (North Grafton, Mass.) was a rock in the first half for the Scots, stopping two fast break opportunities in the opening 20 minutes alone. Dion made 13 saves for the game, eight of which came in the first half. Still, Emerson was able to break through in the 35^th minute on Jess Frost's second goal of the season. Natalie Benjamin was able to poke the ball to Frost, who beat the keeper nearside for the go-ahead.

 

Emerson continued to press Gordon's defensive third well into the second half, but the Fighting Scots generated several opportunities on counters going the other way. In the 81^st minute, a counter attack finally paid off for Gordon. Freshman Asha Steele (Bedford, N.H.) gathered a lose ball 25 yards from the goal and carried it toward the left corner. Steele sent a perfect ball across the goal and found the head of senior Jamie Breton (Concord, N.H.) for the equalizer.

 

Possession was hard to come by in the overtime period until a lapse in Gordon's defense allowed the Lions to penetrate close to net. An initial shot was knocked down by Dion, but the ball squirted away to the feet of Frost. Frost attempted to shoot a spinning ball and it squirted back into the middle of the six-yard box before Haley came across for the finish.

 

 

Melanie Escobar (Torrington, Conn.) made seven saves in the win for the Lions, who travel to Pine Manor on Tuesday. Gordon will have to get back on track for when Suffolk comes to Wenham on Wednesday at 4 p.m.