CLINTON, S.C. – Bolstered by a never-better preventative effort from junior goalie Kelly Hall, the Presbyterian College women's soccer squad limited a Charleston Southern opponent known for its explosive second halves to a 1-1 tie on Wednesday night at Martin Stadium.

Although the Blue Hose were the ones to deal out the first blow – coming by the right foot of Sloan Spees at the 51:29 stamp – the Buccaneers and their persistent attack increased the tension with an answer 22 minutes later.

From there, both sides constructed numerous opportunities to submit the game-winner, although Hall and her counterpart Jenna Moran were simply too strong for a third strike to go down.

Withstanding 23 CSU shots by thwarting 10 of them with her gloves, Hall and the rest of the Blue Hose back line have now surrendered just one score over the past 286 minutes of play. Unfortunately, that aforementioned goal was enough to transform a win into an unresolved final decision.

The midweeker was contested between two clubs vying for a spot in the Big South Tournament, going into the evening at 5^th and 6^th in the latest standings. As only the top four make it to the postseason bracket, Presbyterian now goes into must-win mode for their last two encounters of the semester against USC Upstate and Longwood.
 
FINAL SCORE: Presbyterian, 1 – Charleston Southern, 1
RECORDS: Presbyterian (3-9-2) – Charleston Southern (7-4-4)
LOCATION: Edens Field at Martin Stadium (Clinton, S.C.)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
- For the fourth consecutive outing, Lina-Marie Müller synced up with Sloan Spees to account for PC's 52^nd-minute cash-in. The sixth assist of the year for the former and fifth strike for the latter, that duo has combined to pick up 20 of the group's 31 points over the past two months.

- The Blue Hose witnessed a chance to bump up the deficit even more at 57:36, although a mishandled one-on-one sequence left the Bucs still in the fight.

- Outshooting Presby by 11 for the entirety of the match, Charleston Southern's aggressiveness paid off in the 74^th minute on the tying maneuver. Including Wednesday's duel, the Buccaneers have produced 10 more goals over the final 45-minute period than their opposition this semester.

- Hall quickly regathered and atoned for the goal (which broke a streak of 270 straight minutes without one conceded) by halting CSU's last three on-target swings.

- With under three minutes left until the horn, the third-year keeper and her backing D survived a three-shot onslaught from their in-state rivals all in less than 20 seconds, later securing her 10^th save of the affair as the clock read 89:05 to stay deadlocked.

- Although the Blue Hose themselves couldn't get another past Moran after getting on the board first, their defensive efforts from start to finish were routinely applauded by the audience in Clinton.

- It's the seventh time in 2023 that head coach Brian Purcell's roster has surrendered only one goal or fewer, completing that feat for the third straight date following back-to-back shutout victories over the likes of Gardner-Webb and Winthrop.
 
UP NEXT
 
- Just a pair of Big South meetings are still in front of PC until the regular season's close, hoping to keep surging on their midseason turnaround with a visit to USC Upstate on Saturday afternoon.

- The Spartans lead all comers in the divisional standings with a 5-1 mark against league opponents, taking a break from Big South terrain to annihilate South Carolina State on Wednesday night by a 10-0 clip (five goals in either half).

- Defeating Upstate seven times out of 12 attempts since turning D-I, Presbyterian hopes to slow the Spartans' momentum over the weekend at 4:00 PM on ESPN+.