FLORENCE, SC – In its season opener, Francis Marion University tied Coker University 0-0, Thursday evening (Aug. 25) in non-conference women's soccer play.
 
The Patriots (0-0-1) begin a two-game road trip on Sunday (Aug. 28) against USC Beaufort at 2 p.m. in Bluffton, S.C., and follow up with a match against Newberry College on Wednesday (Aug. 31) at 7 p.m.
 
FMU senior goalkeeper Makayla Willets registered three saves in the match, including a diving stop in the 80th minute off the boot of Coker's Chloe Mullen. Her two other saves came in the first half as she recorded her fifth career clean sheet as a Patriot.
 
Coker keeper Sarah Swaim recorded two saves in the match, both coming in the second half.
 
FMU had a total of nine shots in the match, while Coker University (0-0-1) managed six shots, with three being on target.  The Patriots also registered four corner kicks to Coker's six.
 
Francis Marion freshman forward Kylie Reif led the Patriots with four shots, including one shot on goal. Among her opportunities were a header off a Cortney DeNoux corner kick in the 63rd minute that sailed just outside the right post.  She received a square ball in the 71st minute that led to a low shot that forced a diving save by Swaim, and she had a one-on-one opportunity in the 90th minute that saw her shot blocked by a defender.
 
Sophomores JG Garon, Le'Landra Jarvis, Linsey Downey, Gracie Adkins, and DeNoux each registered a shot. Downey added the Patriots' second shot on goal with a low skidder that was scooped up by Swaim at 71:09.
 
Coker had a few opportunities on goal besides the shot from Mullen in the 80th minute, with Liz Crowe nailing the upper right crossbar in the 50th minute. The Cobras also had back-to-back shot attempts in the 31st minute, but both found their way into the gloves of Willets.

 
 
Francis Marion Univ. (0-0-1) ties Coker University (0-0-1) 0-0
Date: 08/25/22      Attendance: 197
 
Goals by period         1  2  Tot
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Coker University....    0  0 -  0
Francis Marion Univ..  0  0 -  0
 
SCORING SUMMARY:  NONE
 
Shots: Coker 6, Francis Univ. 9 ; Saves: Coker 2 (Sarah Swaim 2), Francis Marion 3 (Makayla Willets 3)