NEWBERRY – The Newberry Wolves (1-1) rode a strong second half effort to secure a 10-8 win over the visiting Converse Valkyries (0-1), their first win of the season and first win under head coach Racquel Prager.
The Wolves came out of the gates strong in the first half, opening with goals from Sophie Moore and Rachel Dillon to get things started. Senior goalkeeper Brandy Bowman stood tough in goal, preventing any goals from the Valkyries for nearly 10 minutes.
Converse would finally break the seal on a goal by Tyra Murray with 20:28 remaining in the first half, and while Moore would respond just minutes later, the goal from Murray was the spark that the Valkyries needed to get going.
Moore's strong offensive effort pushed the Wolves to a 4-2 lead, but the Valkyries were able to explode in the final 10 minutes of the half and go on a 4-1 run to push the halftime score to 6-5.
Down by one with the second half to play, Prager and the Wolves adjusted and lined up to attempt the comeback.
Both sides went back and forth, neither picking up a lead of more than one goal. With 7:30 remaining in the game, Moore connected on her fourth goal of the day to level the score at 8-8.
Things remained tied as the game winded down into its final minutes, with all signs pointing to the Wolves and Valkyries needing overtime to settle the score; however, freshman Chloe Wood had no interest in the extra time.
Wood scored off of a Converse turnover with three minutes remaining to give the Wolves the 9-8 lead, and again less than 40 seconds later to give Newberry a comfortable two-goal lead they would hold until the clock struck all zeros.
Despite Converse putting up more than double the shot attempts that Newberry was able to, an exceptional day in goal from Bowman allowed the Wolves to steal the victory. The senior made 18 saves on 26 shots on goal, as well as picking up a team-high six ground balls.
Moore led the charge offensively for the Wolves with her four goals, while Wood finished with three goals and one assists on the night. Sydney Britton slotted two goals for Newberry, while Dillon finished with one goal and a team-high three assists.
The win moves the Wolves to 1-1 on the season, and they'll try to move above .500 on Monday, February 18 at 4:00 pm when they host Roberts Wesleyan at Setzler Field.
