MISSOULA, Mont. - After leading for a majority of the match, the Southern Utah soccer team played to a 1-1 draw with the Montana Grizzlies Friday evening.
"It was a good battle. It was our first overtime game so it was really good experience for our underclassmen and I thought they did a really good job. They held their nerve and they fought really hard," head coach Fred Thompson said. "I think this was a game where both teams thought they could come in and get the points that they needed and it didn't work out that way for either of us."
The Thunderbirds took the lead in the first half when MaKenzie Lawrence scored her team-leading sixth goal of the season in the 32nd minute of play. Saki Watanabe earned her first assist of the season on the play as she played the ball right to Lawrence, allowing her to score.
The Thunderbirds held onto their 1-0 through halftime until the 80th minute when the Grizzlies were awarded a penalty kick which they were able to convert it into a game-tying goal.
Neither team would be able to score during the rest of regulation, sending the game into overtime.
"The plan in overtime is always you want to win, but you can't lose. You want to give yourself opportunities to score goals, but you also want to limit their chances," Thompson said. "We would rather have the win, but it really isn't good to play 100-plus minutes and walk away with zero points."
Both teams had opportunities in the overtime periods, however neither team would be able to break the stalemate, ending the match in a draw.
Brianna Aldridge made eight saves in the match bringing her season total to 90.
The Thunderbirds will now head to Greeley, Colorado for a matchup with the Bears of Northern Colorado on Sunday.
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