ARKADELPHIA – After a scoreless first hour, the Ouachita women's soccer team traded four goals with East Central in the final 30 minutes of the Great American Conference opener to finish with a dramatic 2-2 draw Thursday at Kluck Field.

Ouachita (1-4-2, 0-0-1 GAC) struck first in the 64th minute on a fine team play when sophomore goalkeeper Taylor Hapgood floated a pass to senior midfielder Ava Dunagan, who fed a header to junior midfielder Madi Vana near midfield. Vana then delivered a perfectly placed pass in stride to junior defender Isabella Savattere, who pounced on a breakaway and scored her first goal of the season from 20-yards out, just outside of the far right corner of the box to take a 1-0 lead. 

East Central (0-6-1, 0-0-1 GAC) answered with two goals in the final 12 minutes to avoid a seventh straight loss to start the 2025 season. Freshman Avery Spadoni scored the equalizer with a header off a feed from sophomore Melieah Hinnant on a corner kick to tie it 1-1. The visiting EC Tigers seized the lead late in the 86th minute when junior Reece Roberson finished a setup from junior Giselle Heck after another scramble inside the box. 

It took less than one minute for Ouachita to even the score with a penalty kick after a shot inside the box by junior midfielder Lennon Porter was blocked with an illegal handball by an East Central defender. Vana converted the ensuing penalty kick through the left side of the net for her first collegiate goal to secure the draw with under three minutes left to play. 

Ouachita and East Central finished with 14 shots apiece in the conference opener. Ouachita's Rylie LeBlanc and Hapgood split each half and combined for two saves, while East Central keeper Madison Mayhall saved four shots. East Central owned a 6-2 edge in corner kicks and held possession for 54% of the match, but Ouachita showcased tremendous resilience to preserve the draw in Thursday's GAC opener.

Ouachita returns to action next Wednesday with a GAC match against Southern Nazarene at Kluck Field.