MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The St. Thomas University Bobcats women's soccer team battled back late to secure a 1-1 draw against the New College of Florida Mighty Banyans, with Dayanara Monnetti finding the equalizer in the 90th minute.
After a scoreless first half, New College of Florida broke through in the 75th minute when Faith Hardy scored her 12th goal of the season at 74:39, assisted by Emma Hunter, giving the Mighty Banyans a 1-0 advantage.
The Bobcats continued to apply pressure in search of an equalizer and were rewarded in the closing minutes. At 89:49, Monnetti found the back of the net for her second goal of the season off an assist from Mariana Sanchez, leveling the score at 1-1 and helping St. Thomas secure the draw.
St. Thomas controlled much of the offensive action throughout the contest, finishing with a commanding 33 shots, including nine on target. The Bobcats also recorded nine corner kicks while limiting New College of Florida to eight total shots, five of which were on goal. The Mighty Banyans did not register a corner kick in the match.
Defensively, the Bobcats recorded four saves, while New College of Florida goalkeeper made eight saves to help keep the contest close despite St. Thomas' offensive pressure.
The match also featured three cautions, with Mariana Sanchez and Kyara Ormazabal receiving yellow cards for St. Thomas at 58:10 and 73:08, respectively. New College of Florida's Sarah Benjamin was cautioned at 87:20.
Despite falling behind late in the second half, the Bobcats demonstrated resilience by finding the equalizer in the final seconds of regulation. Monnetti's late goal ensured St. Thomas came away with a 1-1 draw after consistently challenging the Mighty Banyans' defense throughout the match.
The Bobcats now turn their attention to Warner University as they head up to Lake Wales, Fla, on Saturday, October 17th.
Kickoff is set for 12:00pm.
