Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Saint Leo women's soccer is officially back! Under the direction of head coach Ged O'Connor, the Lions made their debut of the decade after waiting 667 days for the return of NCAA Division II competition. Saint Leo and fellow Sunshine State Conference school, Eckerd, opened the 2021 season in non-conference action Thursday night at Johnson Field. The season opener did not disappoint, as goalkeeper Alyssa Abernot's converted a corner kick in the last minutes of regulation to force overtime. After a full 110 minutes of action-packed soccer, Saint Leo (0-0-1) and Eckerd (0-0-1) drew in a 1-1 decision.
 
The first 45 minutes of action remained scoreless despite Nina Mueller and Kennedy Messina each firing a shot on goal. Meanwhile, the Green and Gold back line faced seven shots.
 
The beautiful cool evening quickly turned into a gusty downpour. In the midst of the weather shift, Triton Hajar Benjoud squeaked in a slick shot from the top right corner of the box, assisted by Haley DeSanto in the 54^th minute.
 
With time quickly melting off the clock, veteran head coach, Ged O'Connor, had every member of the team crash the net, including Abernot. Nina Mueller's corner kick landed in the box, met Abernot who poked the stray ball to the back of the net. The redshirt junior's strike landed in the center of the goal and bounced in for a thrilling equalizer in the 87^th minute.
 
Neither team could record a second goal within the allotted pair of 10-minute overtime periods. Abernot wrapped up her first career start with four saves and a goal. As a unit, the Lions put together five shots, four on frame. Meanwhile, Eckerd took 15 shots, seven of which were on target.
 
The teams are scheduled to meet again on Wednesday, September 29 at the Saint Leo Soccer Field in the Lions' third conference match of the year.
 
The Green and Gold move on to No. 1 Flagler slated for Sunday, September 5 at 7 p.m. in St. Augustine, Florida.
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo women's soccer team, visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.