EMORY, Va. — After battling through two overtimes, the Averett University women's soccer team's season opener ended in a 0-0 draw with non-conference foe Emory & Henry College on Tuesday.
 
Emory & Henry (0-0-1) aggressively attacked the Cougars from the frontline throughout the match, firing 19 shots, but none of them made it past Averett's freshman goalkeeper Bailee Brown. Brown was determined to keep the ball away from the net, and perhaps wanted to make a statement in the first game of her collegiate career as she tallied 13 saves.
 
"Bailee had a great game and kept us alive," said first-year head coach Sarah Chapman, who made her own debut. "I'm happy to see her progression so quickly as a freshman. I know our backline is very confident with Bailee in the goal."
 
As the squad held up on the defensive end, Averett (0-0-1) was selective with its shots and took just seven. The Wasps had only one save, and that came off the foot of sophomore midfielder Amanda Gustavsson. Although the game ended in a tie, Chapman focused on the positives of her team's ability to battle from beginning to end.
 
"It's good to see how the team fought hard for each other and were fit enough to play the extra minutes," Chapman said. "I would have liked for us to score on the chances we had, but the girls found a way stay in the game."
 
Averett returns to action on Sept. 6 to host St. Mary's College of Maryland at 2 p.m. in its home opener at Daly Field.