A short-handed University of South Carolina Beaufort women's soccer team was unable to finish off a second-half rally Friday, dropping its season opener 4-2 to visiting Middle Georgia at Fin Land Field.

Despite being a player down for nearly 80 minutes, the Sand Sharks outshot the Knights 22-11 and had nearly twice as many shots on goal (11-6), but USCB was unable to cash in a number of near misses. USCB had two promising shots denied by the post and another hit the crossbar, and several more attempts narrowly missed the back of the net. 

The Sand Sharks were rattled early when goalkeeper Emily Mentrup was sent off with a red card in the 11th minute. Mentrup charged out to challenge a ball but lost the race to a Middle Georgia player, who drilled a shot that connected with Mentrup's hand outside the box. The ejection sent USCB scrambling, as Mandy Preciado was forced to move from center back to goal.

"We gameplanned, prepared, and thought we had all our bases covered until 10 minutes into the match," USCB coach Ed Heberling said. "I have never been involved in a match like that, and I hope to never be in one again. Emily has stepped up to help her team, and the unfortunate red card for handling the ball outside the box changed our plans." 

The Knights were able to take advantage of playing 11-on-10, as Micayla Crenshaw scored twice and assisted on a pair of goals by Samantha Silva. Crenshaw netted the only goal of the first half and set up Silva for a 2-0 lead less than four minutes into the second half.

USCB broke through in the 59th minute when Pascale Rocca blasted a long shot from the left wing that found the upper-right corner. The Sand Sharks thought they had the equalizer a few minutes later, when Hayley Pina's shot caught the inside of the left post but improbably stayed out of the goal, and Cameron Croney-Clark also connected with the post less than a minute later. 

Silva and Crenshaw combined again in the 73rd minute, but Rocca gave the Sand Sharks hope once again when she cleaned up the rebound from a Caroline Bowman to Alexa Muffley connection in the 85th minute.

With the Sand Sharks pressing for the tying goal, Crenshaw caught a counter and carried the ball deep into the corner to run the clock before breaking free and slipping a shot inside the left post to put it away.

"Although I'm upset with the loss, I have to look at the big picture and how inspiring it was to watch this team play," Heberling said. "We never gave up and fought back to stay in the match. This team has a lot more in them and will continue to improve." 

The Sand Sharks are back in action Sunday, hosting Bethel (Tenn.) at noon. It will be Youth Day at Fin Land Field with giveaways and special activities planned for young fans.