CLINTON, Miss. --- After rain and lightning delays of nearly two hours, all the waiting paid off as junior Jess Davenport drove a well-placed cross from freshman Marisa Saunders into the back of the net as the Mississippi College women's soccer team opened 2018 with a 2-1 overtime win over Saint Leo.

The match was originally scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. at Robert P. Longabaugh Field, but rain and lightning forced things to be moved over to Traceway Park for a 6:30 p.m. kick.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Lady Choctaws to the scoring going in the 9th minute as senior Katie Taylor scored on a pair of assists from sophomore Holly Pascoe and senior Lauren Smith.
- The score would remain 1-0 for MC through the end of the first half and late into the second 45 minutes.
- The Lions answered with the equalizing goal in the 87th minute as Laura Hallissey took advantage of a misplayed ball by the MC defense to make the score 1-1.
- The match would head into overtime as the Lady Choctaw defense and goalkeeper Gabby Kayser withstood a few dangerous opportunities for the Lions in the final minutes.
- In the 96th minute, Saunders sent a beautiful cross into the box that Davenport finished with a strong strike to give the Lady Choctaws the season-opening win.
 

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NEXT UP
- The Lady Choctaws will be back in action on Sunday when they host Tampa at 1:00 p.m. at Longabaugh Field.
 

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Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC is recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and will be competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
 
The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.
 
For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or nichols@mc.edu.