BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Navy women's soccer team recorded its second straight draw on Friday with a 1-1 decision on the road at Gardner-Webb. After going down early 1-0 in the 17^th minute, the Mids (2-1-2) relied on a goal by Baseley McClaskey (Jr., Grand Junction, Colo.) 23 minutes later to knot the game at 1-1 against the Runnin' Bulldogs (2-2-1). The final 83 minutes played out in scoreless fashion with Sydney Fortson (Jr., Claremont, Calif.) making five saves after halftime to hold the line for the Mids.
 
"We had good individual efforts from a variety of players, but a slow start ultimately bit us," remarked head coach Carin Gabarra. "We used a lot of players today in hopes of keeping our legs fresh and keeping the intensity up and I feel we succeed with that. Moving forward we need to find a way to convert in the final third, we had opportunities to go ahead today, but just couldn't put it together and put the ball in the back of the net down the stretch."
 
Navy looked to control the pace off the bat on Friday, but it was Gardner-Webb who converted its first shot on goal as Stina Kleppe scored on a well-struck free kick from just outside the 18-yard box at 16:06.
 
Down 1-0, the Mids continued keeping possession and setting up strong scoring opportunities in the first half. After Hannah Miller (Fr., Mattawan, Mich.) had her shot on goal saved in the 21^st minute, fellow freshman Molly Gillcrist (San Diego, Calif.) gathered the loose ball following a collision between a Bulldog defender and goalkeeper Keely Brown two minutes later and put a shot on frame only to see it deflected away by another Bulldog defender.
 
Finally in the 40^th minute, Cadie Higginson (Jr., New Orleans, La.) found McClaskey in space on the left wing. After a few dribbles, McClaskey ripped a high arching shot from 25-plus yards out into the top corner of the net on the far side.
 
Coming out after the halftime intermission with the score tied 1-1, the teams traded high percentage scoring opportunities right away as Lexie Silva (Jr., Danville, Calif.) picked up a loose ball off of a corner kick and laced a shot on goal before Fortson came through for the Mids with saves in the 50^th and 51^st minutes.
 
Fortson was up to the task again in the 67^th minute as the junior goalkeeper made back-to-back saves on a shot and rebound put-back attempt.
 
With the action flowing end-to-end a bit more than the first half, Navy's last key chance came in the 72^nd minute of regulation play. Built off of a corner kick, the Mids' chance occurred when Karli Sottung (Sr., Westfield, N.J.) whistled a shot on goal that looked to sneak under the cross bar until Gardner-Webb's keeper jumped and pushed the ball over, away from danger.
 
In overtime, Fortson made one save for the Mids in the first stanza. That would be the only shot on goal for either team over the final 20 minutes on Friday.
 
Navy's best opportunities to break the stalemate in extra time came courtesy for freshmen Avery Fries (Fr., Draper, Utah) and Carolyn Mang (Fr., Forest Hill, Md.) in the second overtime period. On the receiving end of a Denisse Ramirez (Union City, Calif.) cross into the box, Fries took control of the ball and looked to slot a shot from close range, low and past the keeper, only to see her attempt go wide by the slightest of margins. Unlike Fries, Mang tested her luck from distance as she connected for a looping shot over the defense and unfortunately for Navy just over the cross bar.
 
In the 1-1 draw, Navy outshot Gardner-Webb, 16-11 with a 7-6 advantage in shots on goal. The Mids were credited with 10 corner kicks versus two for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
 
Fortson finished with five saves for Navy in goal to run her save percentage to .800 and goals against average to 0.55 in 2018.
 
Friday's contest saw Fries and Tori Mitchell (Fr., Wesley Chapel, Fla.) make their collegiate debuts for Navy.
 
The Mids will continue their road trip in North Carolina with a Sunday afternoon tilt at Western Carolina. Kickoff between the Mids and Catamounts is set for 1 p.m.