Ashley, Hoggard girls soccer battle to a draw

***Click here to view a gallery of 45 photos from the action***

One hundred minutes on the pitch wasn’t enough to separate the Ashley and Hoggard girls soccer teams.

The Mideastern Conference rivalry showdown ended in a 2-2 draw after neither team scored in the 20-minute overtime period.

The outcome was more favorable for Ashley (8-0-1), which picked up a 2-1 victory in the first meeting. The Screaming Eagles now control their own destiny for the league’s automatic 4A playoff berth with five matches remaining.

“We thought the pressure was on them,” Ashley coach Erik Graf said. “Two of the three possible outcomes were beneficial to us. As we got into overtime, we were telling our girls to think defense first and try to kill time on the clock.”

UNCW signee McKenna Gardner put the Screaming Eagles on top in the 11th minute, but Hoggard (5-1-1) responded in the 22nd minute on a terrific free kick goal from freshman standout Ella Johnson. 

The score remained tied until the 46th minute when Bella Steiner easily deposited a rebound into the back of the net to put the Vikings on top.

Ashley nearly evened things up four minutes later, but KR Stewart’s volley sailed just wide. The equalizer finally came in the 55th minute when Ellie Zimmerman’s 40-yard free kick came down just under the crossbar.

The Vikings had the better chances in overtime, but couldn’t convert.

“Hoggard came out and really wanted it,” Graf said. “They had us on our heels so many times and if this was a sport that had judges, they probably would have won. It’s not, and we were very fortunate to come away with a draw against an amazing program.”

Both goalkeepers – Ashley’s Maleah Bainer and Hoggard’s Riley Manning – had terrific performances and kept their team in the contest.

The Screaming Eagles host North Brunswick at 5 p.m. Thursday, while the Vikings are back home against West Brunswick on Thursday night at 5.