BREVARD, N.C.  Methodist pocketed three unanswered, second-half goals to rally past host Brevard College, 3-2, Saturday afternoon in earning a non-conference women's soccer victory at Ives Lemel Field.

The Monarchs outshot the Tornadoes 21-7 and owned a 10-5 advantage in shots on goal.

JUST THE FACTS
Result: Methodist def. Brevard, 3-2
Records: Methodist 3-2 overall, Brevard 2-2 overall
Location: Ives Lemel Field, Brevard, N.C.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• First-half action saw Brevard jump out to a quick lead, scoring in just the eighth minute. It added a second tally in the 22nd, leaving the Monarchs with a lot of work to get back into the game.
• Methodist finally turned the flow of the game after that second marker, but wasn't able to finish off its turns in the attacking third with any reward.
• Persistence paid off early in the second half when Aiden Sherry popped up a shot from in close that Tornado goalkeeper Rebeccah Rojas was able to leap and get a glove on, but her touch wasn't enough to deflect the ball from harm's way and it settled under the crossbar to halve the deficit.
• Anna Rose Sink nearly tied the game in the 70th after a bit of a breakaway, but Rojas saw the play developing and charged out to snare Sink's shot.
• Thirty seconds later, however, Miranda Gay beat a defender to a loose ball left of the goal in the top of the box and centered a pass toward Sink, who had gained inside position on her defender. Sink went across the goal past Rojas and tucked a shot to the inside of the right post where it banked in across the goal line for the equalizer.
• By now the Methodist attack was swarming. Minutes later Sink was free again, and again Rojas charged out cutting down Sink's angles with the resulting shot drifting just to the outside of the right post.
• Soon enough, another scoring chance presented itself with a possession that resulted in a corner kick from the left. Amanda Brust lofted her cross to the back post and in close where a Brevard defender headed the ball, but not clear of the scrum in front as Haley Bowles added a header flick of her own to beat Rojas inside the left post for the go-ahead and eventual winning goal.
• Methodist, even when behind, controlled much of the possession. The Monarchs earned themselves six corner chances while allowing not even one corner opportunity to the home team.
• Bowles finished the game with three shots on goal, ahead of Bella Nunu's two shots on goal.
• Maggie Hunt earned the win between the pipes for Methodist, coming up with three saves after the Tornadoes had scored those two early goals.

BEYOND THE STATS

• Last season the two teams played to the same score, but with Brevard winning in Fayetteville.
• Brevard is in its third year of transitioning from NCAA Division II to Division III. It is a member of the USA South and will play in the West Division, opposite Methodist in the East. The Tornadoes are not yet eligible for the league or D-III postseason tournaments.

UP NEXT

• Methodist plays at Johnson & Wales-Charlotte Sunday afternoon.
• Brevard hosts William Peace on Friday.