Apparently, all it took was a little lightning delay for the soccer women to score.

Trailing 3-0 with 11:51 left in their home opener against Ferrum on Saturday, EMU's women headed for indoor shelter due to lightning detected in the area.  After a 37-minute delay, the Royals came out with a charge, scoring twice in the final minutes of the game.

Ferrum also scored twice as the teams combined to notch four goals in a span of 5:46, leaving the visitors a 5-2 decision, but the offensive outburst gives Eastern Mennonite some momentum as they look to pick up their first win.  The Royals (0-4), who had been shut out in their first three road games, stay in Harrisonburg to host Sweet Briar on Wednesday night.

Despite giving up two goals in the first half to Ferrum, the women had been playing well and generating chances early in the second.  But a foul in the box and resulting PK goal for the Panthers seemed to take out EMU's steam.

That was, until the lightning delay.

The Royals broke through in the 84th minute, when Elisa Ott (Lancaster, Pa./Penn Manor) launched a long pass into the middle of the box.  Sierra Martin (Glenwood Springs, Colo./Glenwood Springs) put a shot through two Panther defenders to cut the deficit to 3-1 and give the women their first tally of the year.

Ferrum got the goal back two minutes later, but EMU returned fire in another minute.  After an FC foul outside of the box, senior Morgan Hill (Martinsville, Va./Carlisle) stuck in the resulting free kick, making it 4-2 with 3:40 to play.  The Panthers answered again with 1:13 to go, providing the final margin.

Hill took three of EMU's eight shots in the game, while Ali Reynolds (Grottoes, Va./Fort Defiance) added a pair.  Keeper Becca Borg (Gig Harbor, Wash./Peninsula) made eight saves.

Ferrum's Chloe Hudson scored a hat trick and added an assist to figure in four of her team's five goals.

Coach Ted Erickson said his women gained some momentum for the season despite the loss: