Rio women edge Big Blues

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - Shelby Tharp scored a pair of second half goals as the University of Rio Grande rallied from a halftime deficit and then held on at the end for a 3-2 win over Bluefield State University, Saturday afternoon, in non-conference women's soccer action at Evan E. Davis Field.
     The RedStorm improved to 2-1-3 with the victory.
     The Big Blues lost for the third time in four outings.
     BSU snapped a scoreless tie with 4:05 remaining in the first half on an unassisted marker by Jalynn Pace, but Rio Grande responded with three scores inside the first 18 minutes of the second period.
     Freshman Stephanie Beaulieu (Morrow, OH) netted the equalizer just 1:19 after the intermission, while Tharp - a freshman from Charlestson, W.Va. - found the back of the net twice in a span of 8-1/2 minutes - the first without the aid of an assist with 35:39 left in the contest and the second off of a feed from senior Carmen Morris (Lancaster, OH) with 27:01 remaining to play.
     The Big Blues made things a bit interesting late when Kali Booker scored with 8:10 left to make it a one-goal game.
     Bluefield State had one other shot on frame in a frantic final few minutes, but Rio senior keeper Alba Vilades Marin (Barcelona, Spain) came up with a victory-clinching save with three seconds remaining.
     Rio Grande enjoyed a 17-5 edge in shots overall and a 13-3 advantage in shots on frame. The RedStorm also four of the seven corner kick opportunities in the match.
     Vilades Marin had one save in the winning effort.
     Kaycee Coty recorded nine stops in goal for Bluefield State.
     Rio Grande returns to action on Wednesday night when Mount Vernon Nazarene University visits for a 6 p.m. kickoff.