MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Aug. 30, 2015) â€" Charlotte Stephens was one save shy of her career high of nine saves and Sami Joy scored her first goal of the season, but it was not enough as the Milligan College women's soccer team battled to double overtime but ultimately fell to West Virginia Tech 2-1 Sunday on Anglin Field.
 
The Buffs' record fell to 0-2-0 on the year after losing both matches during their opening weekend, while WVT won its season opening match to go to 1-0-0.
 
The match was intensely competitive throughout, featured 29 total shots, and was almost even on shots on goal, with WVT leading 10-9 in that category.
 
Of those 19 shots on goal between the two teams, two of them were goals scored via free kick, as Joy evened the score 1-1 in the 75th minute, and WVT's Ruby Bingham scored a golden goal to win the match in the 108th minute.
 
Joy's goal was made possible by freshman Madison Thomas, who dribbled by a Golden Bear defender and drew a foul roughly 35 yards out. The score by Joy was the second of her career and went into the top right corner, over the outstretched hands of WVT keeper Martha Reyna. However, that wasn't the only free kick Joy had as a goal-scoring opportunity, as she took one that required saving in the 90th minute and missed another high in the 104th minute.
 
Thomas, who scored an equalizer herself on Saturday for Milligan, took three shots on Sunday, all of which were on goal. One of her misses came in the opening seconds of the second half, when her strike went off the hands of Reyna in what could have been the opening goal of the match.
 
Less than a minute later however, the Golden Bears capitalized on a goal scoring opportunity as Caitlin Foster scored on a pass from Alex Blumer.
 
WVT's leading shot taker was Jessica Guzman, who took six shots, three on goal, and had an opportunity to get the scoring started at the end of the first half, launching a ball that required an athletic save by Stephens, who finished with eight total stops for Milligan.
 
Stephens had several other fine stops throughout the evening, including one in the 11th minute that forced her to the ground. Additionally, Stephens' eight saves were one short of her career high, which she set last September against King University, nearly a year ago.  
 
In addition to the three shots by both Joy and Thomas, freshman Amy Long also had three shots, two on goal, to help pace the Buffaloes' attack.
 
Next up, Milligan will hit the road for the first time this season as they travel to Williamsburg, Kentucky, to battle the University of the Cumberlands on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 2 p.m. The Buffs then return home to face Brewton-Parker College on Wednesday, Sept. 9, with match time set for 7 p.m.