WESTMINSTER, Md. - Sophomore
Bayleigh Perdue scored her first career goal to lift the McDaniel College women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Dickinson in the quarterfinals of the Centennial Conference Women's Soccer Championship Tuesday.
With the win, the Green Terror (11-2-5) advance to the semifinals for the seventh time in nine all-time tournament appearances and will face a familiar foe in a familiar spot, Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field.
McDaniel faced Dickinson in the conference tournament for the first time after battling the Red Devils to a 1-1 draw in the regular season. Dickinson was one of just four teams to score a goal against the Green Terror in 17 games entering Tuesday.
Looking to remain unbeaten in its last five games against the Red Devils at home, McDaniel struck first just eight minutes into the contest when senior
Elaina Kluttz scored her second goal of the season on a rebound after her shot deflected off a defender in the box.
The goal came on the second of two consecutive shots for Kluttz after her first shot was saved by Elizabeth Allen. The Green Terror totaled five of their eight first-half shots in the opening eight minutes of the game with Allen turning away two.
Allen added three more saves and finished with five in the first half as McDaniel out-shot the visitors, 8-3 in the first 45 minutes.
Following Allen's sixth save on a direct kick by junior
Liz LeChard in the 58th minute, Dickinson (9-8-1) had its best chance up to that point to tie the game in the 59th minute, but a shot by Sarah Cudmore nicked off the left post to preserve the lead for the Green Terror.
After back-to-back corner kicks by McDaniel in the 64th and 65th minute, the Red Devils had two opportunities of their own, the second of which resulted in the game-tying goal on a header by Lila Brown off the corner kick by Emily Dunkel in the 71st minute.
The goal was the first allowed by the McDaniel defense since October 7 in its first meeting against Dickinson, snapping a scoreless streak of 687:41.
However, Perdue would net her first career goal on a loose ball in the box just five minutes later to quickly put the Green Terror back in front.
The Red Devils pushed to tie the game for the second time, earning three corner kicks over the final eight minutes, but the McDaniel defense withstood the charge, limiting Dickinson to just one wide shot.
Allen finished with nine saves for the Red Devils while junior
Lauren Hoolahan had three for the Green Terror.
McDaniel, who was receiving votes in Tuesday's United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, face a rematch with the ninth-ranked Blue Jays on Friday. The Green Terror posted a 1-0 victory in the first meeting last Wednesday, Oct. 25 at the Soccer Complex, but are looking for their first win in 18 games at Homewood Field since 1992.
The two teams played to a 1-1 draw at the site of the last two Centennial Conference championship games back on Nov. 4, 2017.