LEAVENWORTH, Kan. -- Jessenia Velez's go ahead goal in the 50th minute led the Ottawa University women's soccer team to a close 2-1 road win over the University of Saint Mary on Saturday afternoon. 

The Braves caught an early break in the fifth minute when Sidney Johnson drew a foul in the box to earn Ottawa a penalty kick. Ashby Owen stepped up to the penalty spot and calmly finished into the bottom left corner to put the Braves up 1-0 early.  Ottawa's lead would not last long, with the Spires tying the game in the seventh minute because of a Braves' defensive miscue. The Braves were caught napping by thinking the ball had gone out of bounds when it hadn't, and the Spires Nanako Hallier capitalized on a quick two on one counterattack. Hallier's intial shot on the breakaway hit the post, but teammate Morgan Young was there to clean things up and tie the game at 1-1. Both defenses locked down and things remained tied at 1-1 heading into halftime. 

It didn't take long for the Braves to get back on top once the second half started, in part to Velez's goal in the 50th minute. Velez received a pass from Ivett Acevedo, then made a nice turn into a quick shot that caught Spires goalkeeper Maea Ploetz off guard. The Braves continued to keep up the pressure and were not content to sit back, while shutting down Saint Mary's offense by outshooting the Spires 7-2 in the second half. Ottawa would hold for the 2-1 win over USM. 

Up Next: The Braves return to AdventHealth Field, hosting the Tabor Bluejays in the 7:30 night game on Wednesday, Sep. 28th.