GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Looking to gain better ground in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference women's soccer standings, Davenport and Cornerstone each had the lead at a certain point during a cold Wednesday night on the Turf Field. But after 110 minutes of play, the two Beltline rivals could not break the 2-2 draw and had to settle with one point.
 
Paige Eli scored her second goal in as many matches in the first half and helped Nea-Stina Liljedahl, who made her collegiate debut, head in the equalizer early in the second half off a corner kick.
 
It is the third straight match Davenport (9-3-3, 3-2-2) had to play in extra time and only the second consecutive draw. The Panthers remain in fifth place in the WHAC standings with 11 points and will host newly-crowned WHAC regular-season champion Northwestern Ohio on Senior Day Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
 
The Panthers quickly jumped up front seven minutes into the contest when Eli's shot from the left side went directly at Allison Snowden, but the ball slipped past Cornerstone's keeper and bounced into the net. The Golden Eagles (9-2-3, 4-2-1 WHAC) answered back in the 33^rd minute and Mykayala Denison's shot arched over a frozen DU keeper Tara Gessler and ricocheted off the left post.
 
Cornerstone jumped ahead 2-1 five minutes into the second half when Lexanna Siemasz' free kick inside the goal box was launched like a rocket around the wall and into the goal. The lead was short lived as Liljedahl's perfectly timed header off Eli's corner kick from the left side easily found the back of the net to even the match at two.
 
While Davenport had a 14-13 edge in shots, it did have had a lot of opportunities on corner kicks (15-5). Gessler finished the night making six saves while Snowden had to stop five shots.
 
Post-Match Notes
It is only the fourth time in Davenport-Cornerstone rivalry to be resulted a draw. Cornerstone however still leads the series 7-3-4…It is the first time since 2010 that the Panthers have had three consecutive overtime appearances and back-to-back draws…Prior to the match, the Panthers presented a check to Bridget Zuidgeest's mother, Pam, of $1,038 they raised during their contest against Marygrove earlier in the month to help her battle with cancer.
 
Women's Soccer Contact: Rick Hoskin | 616-871-6180 | rhoskin@davenport.edu
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