NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- On Tuesday, we all turned a page on the calendar, and the Drury girls soccer team’s fortunes took a turn as well.
At least, a little bit of a turn.
The Blue Devils earned their first point of the season, settling for a 2-2 result against Mount Everett on John J. Del Negro Field.
After giving up the tying goal early in the second half, the Blue Devils (0-8-1) carried play most of the rest of the way. Drury earned a 7-3 advantage in shots on goal and a 7-2 edge in corner kicks but had no goals to show for it.
At least the Devils have something to show for day, getting a much needed point in the Berkshire County South Division standings after a month of games that featured four one-goal losses -- including the last two outings against North Division foes Mount Greylock and Wahconah.
Drury coach Maria Bartini said her squad is holding up well after a rugged first month of the season.
“We’ve had a really tough schedule, and we’ve just been taking it one game at a time and focusing on what we need to be doing and focusing on ourselves,” Bartini said. “And we’re just using each game as an opportunity to grow and develop and improve.
“I thought we were moving the ball beautifully, today. I’m seeing them implement things that we’re doing in practice. So, as a coach, I can’t really ask for more than that. … That’s kind of what it’s all about. And, you know, sometimes, the way soccer goes is you don’t get the ‘W’ when you do those things.
“It’s a funny game.”
Drury fell into an early hole on Tuesday when Hudah Nguy-Nkulu set up Madeline Von Ruden, who beat a drawn-out Mackenzie Dobbert (three saves) to make it 1-0 in the sixth minute of play.
It did not stay that way for long.
The Blue Devils responded when Elli Miles scored with an assist from Alison Felix with 31 minutes, 40 seconds on the clock.
And six minutes later, Miles sent a through ball up the middle that Kayla McGrath ran on to give Drury a 2-1 lead.
That was the last shot Drury could get past Eagles freshman Emma Goewey (12 saves), who later would come up with a brilliant diving stop inside the final two minutes of the game, getting her finger tips on a try from Jacqueline Moulton on a run up the right wing.
“I think [Goewey] gives everyone the confidence that they know with her in goal that … it’s not [2019 grad Madison Ullrich], but it’s a younger version coming up through,” Mount Everett coach Joshua King said. “As Emma progresses and gets older and gets more confident, I think we’ll see a lot of very similar characteristics -- something these girls are accustomed to having.”
Mount Everett tied the game in the 46th minute when an attempted Drury clearance off an Eagles’ corner kick found Von Ruden about 30 yards from goal high on the left wing. She one-timed a shot into the far side of the goal to make it 2-2.
“I challenged these guys at half-time, I knew that we were kind of playing a little slow to start,” King said. “I knew were were playing a little down and not to our potential. And that’s one of the things that I challenged them to come back and show me something the second half. Because this one of those South games that matter. We’re all kind of jockeying. Obviously, a tie is not the end result we wanted, but it’s not a loss, either.”
Mount Everett plays an independent game at Gateway on Thursday.
Drury hosts Taconic on Friday.
