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STEUBENVILLE -- Harrison Central won the first half, while Catholic Central won the second.
Trailing the Huskies by a goal late in the second half, the Crusaders netted the game-tying shot on a penalty kick. The two local girls soccer teams battled to a 2-2 tie Wednesday evening on the Tony Recinella Soccer Field at the Michael Carapellotti Crusader Sports Complex.
Harrison Central collected two goals late in the first half, en route to taking a 2-0 lead at halftime. Catholic Central bounced back by scoring one goal early in the second half and one late in the proceedings resulting in the tie.
"The girls just responded well," Catholic Central (0-1-1) head coach Jonathan Hoover said. "We went over some things at halftime. We knew it was going to be a tough second half. The girls went out and played well."
The Huskies fought the whole game, but a late miscue in the box prevented them from walking away with a win.
"We lost a little bit in the second half," Harrison Central (0-0-1) head coach Mindy Madzia said. "We have a 26-man roster, and we have to take it down to 22 on game days. The girls have been practicing hard. They are coming on strong."
Catholic Central was led offensively by a pair of sophomores. Ellen Rhode delivered the penalty-kick goal and an assist to lead the way for the Crusaders, while Maria Meyer produced another.
Senior Bri DeChristopher recorded nine saves in goal.
Senior Jenna Easlick and freshman Angie Ferri each finished with a goal for Harrison Central, while senior Kerstin Jeffries assisted on Ferri's goal.
The Huskies used two goalies. Britt Positano started and played the first half in the net. She made four saves. Jeffries was the keeper in the second half and made a pair of saves.
While the hosts already played a game prior to Wednesday, it was the first one for the visitors. Madzia said her girls are excited about having the opportunity to play games this season.
"Very much so," she said. "They are excited. While we were practicing, we did not know if we would be able to play. Once we got the okay, that took us to a game on level. We definitely have some things to work on. We have the game on film. We will watch the film and go over what we need to."
Catholic Central lost its opener to Indian Creek, 4-0. The Crusaders showed signs of improvement from their game against the Redskins.
"We worked on things at practice Monday and Tuesday," Hoover said. "We saw some deficiencies against Indian Creek. The girls listened. I wish we still had 10 more minutes."
Harrison Central had opportunities to score in the second half, but DeChristopher and the Catholic Central defense rose to the challenge and kept the Huskies off of the scoreboard.
"We played a good first half," Madzia said. "We found some things to work on. We have been scrimmaging each other. We have had intrasquad scrimmages. With our roster size, we can scrimmage 11 on 11. Scrimmaging against yourself is a whole lot different than playing a game. There were some nerves today."
UP NEXT
Harrison Central: Travels to Maysville for a 3 p.m. contest Saturday.
Catholic Central: Travels to Cambridge on Tuesday.