MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A warm day in Memphis set the stage for an important clash between the Berry Vikings and Rhodes Lynx in a SAA conference bout. After Berry's 2-0 loss to the Centre Colonels, they were able to rebound and gut out a 1-0 win over an NCAA Tournament team from last season.
The first half had its battles, and all it took was one Lynx mistake for the Vikings to take the lead. In the 14th minute, Giselle Aitken was fouled inside the penalty area, giving the team a penalty kick. Addison Wickremesekera capitalized on the opportunity to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead, the first goal of her collegiate career. Both teams kept pace with each other for the rest of the half, but Berry would close it out with the lead intact.
In the second half, the Lynx came out swinging with an avalanche of shots. They took 15 total while the Vikings had just one, but an outstanding half from goalkeeper Kate Hill and some sturdy defense from players like Anne Adams and Annie Connors helped them weather the storm. The most crucial stretch came in the final three minutes, when the Vikings successfully defended back-to-back corner kicks by Rhodes and two Hill saves in the clutch slammed the door on any last-minute rally.
The victory secured Berry's second conference win of the season, and their first road win since their 4-1 victory over Covenant on September 8.
Hill got the win in net with total seven saves and zero goals allowed in one of her best performances this season. Wickremesekera scored the game's lone goal, but Sienna Christenson led the team in shots with two. In terms of team stats, Rhodes won the shot battle 19-4 and corner kick battle 7-1 but weren't able to capitalize to even up the score.
The Vikings will next play on the road once on Sunday, October 11 at 2:30 p.m. against the Millsaps Majors looking to make it back-to-back road wins.
