Lady Falcons Lose Lead in Season Opener 

TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. - The Florida College Women's Soccer team tied Florida Memorial University in a close 2-2 match on Friday afternoon. 

The Lions kept possession of the ball the majority of the first half until sophomore Claribel Hernandez took a shot that made its way into the back of the net. Hernandez was assisted by senior Yaritza Vasquez, and the team's energy picked up enough to carry the Falcons through the first half with not one, but two goals by Hernandez.  

Florida Memorial came out of the locker room ready to go at the end of halftime with high energy and had their sights set on scoring. They were given a chance to score on a penalty kick, but sophomore Jillian Francis evaluated the shot and denied the Lions a point on the board. Florida Memorial's Kiara Kallie answered back and attempted a shot again that ultimately made it into the goal, pushing the score to 2-1.  

She later added another goal that set the tone for a tough fight until the end of the match. Both teams were unable to add another goal to finish the job, resulting in a draw for the Lady Falcons' first match of the season. 

"Tonight was not the showing we wanted for our season opener. We have a lot of things to work on, but I'm confident that we will improve as we move forward," said head coach Joanie Dilbeck. 

The Lady Falcons will take on Ave Maria University next on Tuesday, August 29 at 7pm.