VALDOSTA, Ga. (September 13, 2023) - The Rollins Tars find themselves back in the win column following a nice 3-2 win over Columbus State on the neutral site of Valdosta State. The victory moves Rollins to 2-1-2 on the year, while the Cougars fall to 1-3.
It took a few minutes for the action to get going, with
Ryland McGratty firing the first on-target shot of the game in the 6th minute. That would be it for the Rollins offense for a while. The Cougars countered with a pair of looks in a thirty-second span, but both shots were stopped by
Lauren Mehos.
McGratty was able to break through in the 22nd minute when her attempt found the net via the lower left corner, giving Rollins a 1-0 lead. Columbus State had a solid chance with a few minutes remaining before half, but Brooke Ouimette's shot hit the crossbar. Rollins would carry a 1-0 lead into halftime.
Rollins came out firing in the second half, but were not able to convert on shots from
Lexie Cooper and
Kayla Park. On the Cougars' first shot of the second half, Sarah Hungerford beat Mehos to knot the game at one.
Minutes later, it was McGratty once again working her magic as she beat the Cougar keeper low left again off a feed from Val Acevedo.
With the Tars holding on to the lead, Columbus State waited patiently and found an opportunity in the 73rd minute to equalize on a strike from Lauren Barnes.
On the next Rollins possession, the Tars put pressure on Columbus State. Cooper had a shot on target saved, but just seconds later, Park found herself with a window and took advantage, nailing the top bin for the go-ahead strike in the 76th minute.
Mehos would save two more shots in the final minutes as the Cougars attacked, but could not finish the job.
The two goals were McGratty's first of the season, and also her first goal since September 25, 2021 after missing last year with an injury. The freshman Mehos was solid between the pipes, turning away five of seven on-target efforts from the Cougars.
Next up for the Tars is the SSC opener at #19 Tampa on Saturday, September 16. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm.
