WILMINGTON, N.C.- With second-half goals from freshman midfielder Caddie Higginson (New Orleans, La.) and junior forward Clare MacAdam (Palmyra, N.J.), the Navy women’s soccer team (0-2-1) earned a 2-2 double-overtime draw with UNCW (2-0-1) Friday night at UNCW Soccer Stadium. The draw snaps Navy’s two-match losing streak to move to 0-2-1, while UNCW goes to 2-0-1.

“We had a very poor start and we were not mentally prepared for UNCW’s pressure to begin the match,” Navy head coach Carin Gabarra said on the Mids slow start. “In the second half, however, we were able to regroup, adjust our game plan and create a lot of good chances. Both goals were executed very well. It is always hard to play on the road against a strong opponent and we are happy with the result that we got in the end.

Down 2-0 to start the second half, Navy wasted little time putting pressure on UNCW’s defense. Navy’s defense cleared the ball out of their zone and down the right sideline for senior defender Cat Macklin (McLean, Va.) to gain possession and dribble into the Seahawk’s defensive third. Macklin sent in a cross to the top of the 18-yard box for Higginson, who volleyed her shot past UNCW goalkeeper Carolyn Huddy to cut the deficit to one, 2-1, in the 48^th minute.

With momentum in the Mids favor, Navy substituted in sophomore forward Ash Fairow (Jacksonville, N.C.) to generate more pressure in the 55^th minute. Less than three minutes from being substituted in, Fairow dribbled into the 18-yard box and was taken down by a Seahawk defender to draw a penalty kick. MacAdam was given the nod to take the kick and rifled her shot past Huddy for the equalizer in the 58^th minute.

With time winding down in regulation, MacAdam looked to send Navy home with a victory in the 89^th minute. The junior forward gained possession near the box and launched a shot on net, but Huddy was there to preserve the 2-2 after 90 minutes.

Neither team was able to conjure up a successful offensive opportunity in either overtime period to break the draw.

UNCW found success in the early moments of the match to build a 2-0 lead through the first 45 minutes. Seahawk teammates Nikki Cox and Baley Edwards connected in the 14^th minute to give UNCW an early 1-0 advantage. UNCW’s Madison Melnick found teammate Moa Jarl, who scored her first goal of the season in the 36^th minute to extend the Seahawks lead to two.

UNCW held statistical advantages over Navy in shots, 17-8, shots on goal, 6-4 and corner kicks, 7-6.

Senior goalkeeper Dayton Wetherby (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) stood strong in net for Navy, recording a game-high four saves on six chances.

The Mids will continue their North Carolina tour with a Sunday match against North Carolina State at 1 p.m. The match will be streamed live and for free on GoPack.com and on WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

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