NORTH NEWTON, Kan. - It was slow going for Ottawa in the first half, but a pair of second half goals righted the ship for the Braves in a 2-1 win over Bethel. The win marks the first time since 2018 that Ottawa has opened KCAC play with a 2-0 record.
Despite a pair of early chances by
Peyton Hack, Ottawa found itself chasing the game in the 13th minute as Malaysia Larque found the bottom left corner of the net past a diving
Lena-Marie Winkler.
The Braves had an opportunity to level the match in the 31st minute as a Thresher defender was whistled for a handball in the penalty area.
Charlotte Gatehouse stepped to the spot and had Bethel's Cadence McMenemy beaten to the left, but the gusting wind pushed her shot wide and off the post where it was cleared by the Threshers.
After a sustained burst of possession in the second half, Ottawa was able to level the score in the 64th minute. After earning a corner kick in the 61st minute, the Braves kept Bethel pinned deep eventually winning a throw in on the right side of the pitch. A quick give-and-go led to a cross to
Maya Ramirez in the middle, where she took a few touches into space and laced a hard shot to the right post. McMenemy dove and was able to get a hand weakly to the shot but Gatehouse was right on the spot to lift it over the sprawling Thresher keeper and into the net.
The Braves had a pair of chances in the 82nd minute, as
Emma Stillings send a shot on goal as she crashed into a Bethel defender, drawing a brief stoppage after the McMenemy save as the athletic training staff came on the field to attend to the Threshers player. Then after collecting a wind-aided errant distribution,
Laura Quijada saw her effort blocked wide and cleared for a throw in.
Quijada was able to help with the gamewinner however, finding
Cennet Donahue in the 84th minute. The junior transfer dribbled to the endline and cut back upfield as Donahue was backpedaling into open space to lose her defender. She planted her feet and stepped into the Quijada pass, sending a shot to the top left corner.
Ottawa was close to adding an insurance goal in the 86th, but it proved unnecessary as the game finished 2-1.
Next up is the biggest test of the season for Ottawa as the Braves take on no. 15 Oklahoma Wesleyan. Kickoff from Bartlesville, Okla., is set for 5 p.m.
