GAMBIER, Ohio -- The Kenyon College women's soccer team started their 2022 season with a 1-1 draw against Nazareth College in Rochester, New York.

The Owls and Golden Flyers traded a pair of shots apiece in the early going as the teams felt each other out, but neither side put a ball over the goal line in their first attempts. Kenyon keeper Leah Anderson secured three saves over the first 29 minutes of play despite Nazareth being the early aggressors. The defensive efforts paid off as the Owls took advantage offensively in the 36th minute when Julia Igoe put the visitors ahead 1-0 off of an assist by Morgan Baker.

The Golden Flyers nearly evened the score just 48 seconds after Kenyon's go-ahead goal, but the attempt bounced off the crossbar as the Owls evaded the threat. Kenyon attempted to convert on an aggressive offensive push just before the end of the first half, but a shot by Olivia Carriero in the 45th minute was saved by Nazareth's Annika Monfort.

The teams went back and forth with no change in score through the first 25 minutes of the second half until a strong push by Nazareth in the 71st minute allowed the home team to break through in the second period. The Golden Flyers had a shot blocked that led to a corner kick, and Makaelynn Neivel put in a goal at the 71:14 mark to tie the game at 1-1. 

The Owls attempted to recreate Nazareth's success in the 74th minute after a shot by Talulla Sheridan earned Kenyon a corner kick, but Sadie Gould's header off the corner sailed wide. Gould and Sheridan accounted for the game's four shots from the 74th to 81st minute as the duo tried to put Kenyon ahead, but their attempts were off target. Neither team registered a shot over the final nine minutes of play, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw after full time.

Nazareth took 11 shots to Kenyon's nine, while each squad put five shots on target. The Golden Flyers held a 6-3 edge in corner kicks over the Owls, but neither team held an advantage on the scoreboard after 90 minutes of play.

Up next, Kenyon stays in Rochester, New York to face the Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday, Sep. 3, at 2 p.m. The Owls then return home to Gambier, Ohio to host Kalamazoo College on Saturday, Sep. 10, at 1 p.m. on Mavec Field.