APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University women's soccer team answered a first-half deficit and controlled much of the late action Thursday night as the Vikings battled Carthage College to a 1-1 draw at the Banta Bowl. Lawrence moved to 1-0-1 on the season with the result.
Carthage struck first in the 29th minute when Malie Cassel found the back of the net to give the Firebirds a 1-0 advantage. The Vikings continued to push forward, and their response came just before halftime.
With only 23 seconds remaining in the opening half, Emi Grill delivered the equalizer. Elena Hartung set up Grill, who scored her first goal of the season at the 44:37 mark to send the teams into the break even at 1-1.
Lawrence turned up the pressure after halftime, outshooting Carthage 6-4 over the final 45 minutes. Kylie Grimes created a pair of quality chances early in the half, forcing a save in the 55th minute before putting another attempt on target in the 81st.
The Vikings continued to threaten down the stretch. Kylie Melonis put a shot on frame in the 86th minute and followed with another attempt just over a minute later, while Hannah Kalt had Lawrence's final opportunity blocked in the closing seconds.
Lawrence finished with an 11-9 advantage in shots, including an even 4-4 mark in shots on goal. Melonis and Grimes led the Vikings with three shots apiece, with Grimes putting two on target. Goalkeeper Ally Littau played all 90 minutes and made three saves.
The Vikings also generated all four of their corner kicks in the second half as they continued to apply pressure in search of a winner, but neither side could break the deadlock before the final whistle.
