FULTON, Mo. -- The William Woods University women's soccer team dropped its first American Midwest Conference match of the season on Tuesday evening, falling 2-1 to Columbia College. The Owls earned a late penalty kick but weren't able to find an equalizer in the match.
The Owls controlled much of the attack in the opening stanza before seeing a bit of bad luck put them in a 1-0 hole in the 21st minute.
The ball was played into the box by Columbia and bounced off a couple of players, eventually falling toward the back post.
Danielle Wilson (Freeburg, Ill.) leapt in an attempt to clear the ball off the line, but unfortunately the ball went off her shin and into the net.
William Woods ratcheted up the pressure to close the first half, but couldn't muster a solid offensive chance and trailed 0-1 at the intermission.
The Owls had a pair of great chances in the early part of the second half, forcing three saves from Erica Ramirez and one team save for the Cougars, but found themselves down 2-0 in the 75th.
William Woods pulled one back on the opening stroke of the 90th minute, as a collision at the top of the box drew an immediate flag from the assistant referee on the far touchline. After a short conference, the Cougars were judged to have fouled just inside the box, setting up an Owls penalty kick that was converted by
Stephanie Kirvan (Sunrise Beach, Mo.) to pull WWU within 1-2.
The Owls weren't able to find the equalizer in the final seconds however, falling to 2-1 in AMC action and 6-5-1 overall. WWU held a slight edge in shots on the game (11-6) and a 5-4 edge in shots on goal.
WWU returns to the road this weekend, traveling to Hannibal, Mo., to take on Hannibal-LaGrange University. Kickoff for the match is set for 1 p.m.
