SWANNANOA, NC - The Owls returned to Hank Steinbrecher Sports Complex on a cloudy Swannanoa day where rain seemed inevitable. After a last-minute scheduling change last week, they faced off against the Salem College Spirits.

The Owls and Salem College played a hard-fought first half, with both sides seizing and conceding many scoring opportunities. The Spirits struck first, scoring within the first minute of gameplay and catching the Owls flat-footed. Despite this early setback, the Owls continued to apply high pressure on Salem and controlled possession throughout the first half and the entire game. This hard work paid off when walk-on senior Lana Lemmel scored a goal, assisted by senior captain Kyra Collins. Despite the Owls' continued pressure, the Spirits scored three more goals in transitions, resulting in a first-half score of 4-1.

The Owls came out in the second half with hopes of turning the tide and swinging the game in their favor. However, despite many shots hitting the crossbar, the Owls struggled with transitional defense, and Salem College exploited this for another three goals, resulting in a final score of 7-1.

Although this result was not what the Owls had hoped for, they will still learn a lot from this game, including aspects of ball possession, control, and creating and capitalizing on scoring opportunities.

The Owls look to take this learning opportunity into their next away match against Toccoa Falls College. This match takes place on Tuesday, September 17th, at 6 p.m.