Greenville, S.C. -- Furman and College of Charleston each rallied from a one goal deficit before settling for a 2-2 draw in Southern Conference women's soccer action in front of a crowd of 524 on Friday night at Stone Soccer Stadium.

The deadlock moved Furman to 9-7-2 overall and 4-3-2 in SoCon play as the Paladins pulled even with Elon for a share of fifth place in the league standings with two matches remaining.  Charleston, now 10-6-1 overall and 6-2-1 in league play, retained sole possession of third place.

The Cougars jumped out to the early lead as Hannah Gmerek scored her first of two goals on the night at the 4:19 mark.  Sarah Cardamone sent a driven corner kick from the left side through the box.  Furman goalkeeper Jessica Smith attempted to punch the cross clear, but it deflected to the feet of Gmerek who finished at the back post for her third tally of the season.

Senior Rachel Shelnutt erased the Charleston lead in the 17th minute with her team-leading 10th goal of the campaign.  Freshman Alyssa Althoff played a pass into the path of Shelnutt down the left wing and the senior beat her defender to the ball before chipping the keeper.

Less than 11 minutes later, the Paladins grabbed the lead.  Hannah Stanifer lined a shot off of the left post and the rebound bounced to India Robinson who headed into the open net from inside the six-yard box at 27:01 for her first collegiate goal.

In the second half, College of Charleston took control of possession and put the Paladin defense under constant pressure.  The Cougars' persistence finally paid off with just 11:02 remaining in regulation when Gmerek volleyed a Maryam Buazza pass into the upper righthand corner for her second goal of the night.

Furman had two opportunities to steal three points in the first overtime period.  Shelnutt ran onto a ball and cut back in the middle of the box before stumbling over a Charleston defender.  She fed a pass to Megan Dougherty on the right side of the box, but the senior was whistled for being offside.  Moments later, Shelnutt once again picked out a wide open Dougherty on the right side of the box, but she fired high in a one-v-one with Cougar goalkeeper Cricket Wise.

Charleston outshot the Paladins 18-14, including 12-8 in shots on goal, with both teams earning six corner kicks.  Wise stopped six shots for the Cougars, while Smith turned away 10 shots for the Paladins to preserve the point.

The Paladins celebrate Senior Day on Sunday afternoon when they host The Citadel at 2 p.m.  Furman enters the contest against The Citadel with a 10-1-0 series lead.  After a 3-0 Furman triumph during last season's regular season meeting against the Bulldogs, the Paladins fell 2-1 in overtime at The Citadel in SoCon Tournament quarterfinal round action.

Admission to Sunday's match is $3 for adults and $1 for children.  Furman students receive free admission with a valid Student ID.  

Follow www.FurmanPaladins.com and www.Twitter.com/FurmanPaladins for updates on Furman Women's Soccer throughout the 2011 season.