ADA, Okla. – The East Central University soccer team hosted Oklahoma Baptist University for a Great American Conference matchup. The match saw the Bisons jump out to an early 2-0 lead, but the Tigers clawed their way back into contention with a goal in the first period and another in the second, resulting in an exciting 2-2 tie at Tiger Soccer Field.
 
The GAC draw moves ECU to 0-0-2 in league matches while OBU stands 1-1-1 following the road tie.

"The ladies showed grit today," Head Coach Riley Bailey said. "Staying focused and being patient is hard when you're two goals down. But they kept to the game plan and stayed fighting. We were able to equalize and secure an important point in the conference."
 
OBU came out firing as they raced to a two-goal lead early in the first half. In the 12^th minute, the Bisons broke the scoreless deadlock with a shot that found its way just above the outstretched arms of ECU keeper, McKenna Leveling, giving OBU a 1-0 lead.
 
The Bisons did not stop there. They continued to press forward and, not long after their first goal, extended their advantage with another well-placed strike that dodged the reach of Leveling to go up 2-0.
 
However, The Tigers were not willing to go down without a fight. Just before the halftime whistle, Tanja Bauboeck's free-kick was deflected by the OBU keeper, hitting the crossbar before rebounding right into the path of Angelica Bochus, who skillfully tapped it in with her right foot for her first goal of the 2023 season. The goal breathed new life into the Tigers, and they headed into the locker room trailing 2-1.
 
The second half saw both teams battling neck and neck with opportunities on both ends of the field. The score remained 2-1 for the majority of the period until ECU seized its opportunity to equalize.
 
With just 10 minutes left of play, Madison Martinez provided a perfectly timed feed to Abbie Morris, who stuck the ball past the OBU keeper and into the upper-right corner of the net, leveling the score at 2-2.
 
The final minutes saw the Bisons take two shots to try and break the deadlock, but their shots were off target, ending the game in a 2-2 draw.
 
In addition to picking up her first goal of the season, Abbie Morris recorded two shots on goal while Lorianne Baugh, Tanja Bauboeck, and Angelica Bochus complied one shot on goal apiece.
 
McKenna Leveling played the full 90 minutes as the goalkeeper and totaled six saves.
 
The ECU soccer team will now hit the road on Saturday, Sept. 30 to take on Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma at 5 pm.