Brand's seven saves helps SSU draw with Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in 0-0 deadlock

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- Led by Harlee Brand's second consecutive clean sheet of the season and of her young career, the Shawnee State women's soccer program drew with Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in a 0-0 tie that saw the freshman make seven saves in a big effort that aided the SSU cause greatly in a River States Conference matchup that was held at Shawnee Turf in Portsmouth Saturday afternoon.

Offensively, shots proved to be difficult to come by for both squads as the defensive efforts by the Bears and the Pomeroys were each effective -- with Saint Mary-of-the-Woods claiming a slight 8-5 advantage in shots as well as a 7-3 margin in shots on goal.

Despite the accuracy of the shots that Saint Mary-of-the-Woods showed when the Pomeroys did take them, Brand proved to be more than up for the task in stopping the attempts she faced.

In the first half alone, the North Adams graduate made a stop in the 10th minute of action, two denials in the 24th minute of play and also claimed saves in the 39th and 42nd ticks to keep the sheet clean. Brand then made excellent stops in both the 68th minute of action as well as a massive sliding stop with exactly two minutes left in the match to preserve the tie.

Shawnee State had its best opportunities come about in the 83rd minute of action, when Madison Culp launched a high-arching shot that just glanced off of the crossbar. A rebound attempt by Autumn Culp in the box was stopped by Saint Mary-of-the-Woods goalkeeper Dree Wilson.

By clinching at least a tie against Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Shawnee State retained fourth place in the River States Conference Standings -- as West Virginia Tech and Brescia, SSU's main competitors for the No. 4 spot, drew as well in its own 0-0 tie.

The Bears also hold the tiebreaker over both the Golden Bears and the Bearcats after winning by 2-1 margins in both contests. Indiana-Kokomo, who sits with eight points, lost 3-0 in its own match against Oakland City, while Midway, with five points, is also in RSC Tournament contention.

More on the tournament standings can be found at https://riverstatesconference.com/schedule.aspx?schedule=1732.

The Shawnee State women's soccer program can go a long way toward sealing a River States Conference Tournament bid this coming Wednesday if the Bears are able to kick off Senior Night with a victory over Midway (Ky.). at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday evening in what will be the Bears' next-to-last match of the regular season. SSU then hosts Indiana-Kokomo Saturday, Nov. 2 at 4:30 p.m. at Shawnee Turf in Portsmouth in a match that concludes regular season play for the Bears.

A total of five seniors -- including Julye Derenemesnil, Carlota Ipina Taylor, Kya Edwards, Claire Favre and Mekenzie Loper -- will be honored with full Senior Day festivities, while four additional players who have already walked in Senior Night ceremonies in previous seasons, including Haynna Addy, Madison Culp, Alex Hurn and Bianca Robinson, will also be mentioned in the ceremonies.