University of Mount Olive played nationally 14th-ranked Catawba to a scoreless tie for 41 minutes and within a goal at halftime, but a three-goal outburst in the second half broke open a close match as the Trojans fell to the Indians 4-0 in non-conference women's soccer Wednesday at Amon Field.
Niza Vera narrowly missed giving Mount Olive (0-3) the lead shortly after entering the match midway through the first half when Catawba goalkeeper Bethany Davis made a diving save on her header. The Trojans had dodged a bullet earlier in the half when Allison Parker's header off a corner kick hit the crossbar.
Catawba (3-0) got on the scoreboard at 40:59 when Kate Weisner scored on a breakaway. Catawba outshot the Trojans 12-4 in the first half, but had to settle for a 1-0 halftime advantage.
The second period saw the offense for Catawba connect for three more goals off of seven shots. Becky Frost made it 2-0 in the 50th minute on a feed from Sophie Waller. Kasey O'Hara nearly got Mount Olive on the scoreboard in the 68th minute when she chipped a shot past the Catawba goalkeeper, but the ball rolled just wide of the right post. Catawba added two goals in the final 20 minutes to break the game open.
Mount Olive will return to action next Saturday September 20th when they will open up Conference Carolinas play against Emmanuel at Amon Field. Match time is set for 1 p.m.