Box Score DULUTH, Minn. – Minutes away from suffering their third straight one-goal loss, sophomore
Lauren LaFavre scored the game-tying goal to lead University of Sioux Falls Soccer to a 1-1 draw at Minnesota Duluth on Sunday afternoon. The Cougars improve on their NCAA Division II program-best record, moving to 4-7-3 overall with a 3-5-3 record in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
Sunday's draw was the first result the Cougars have earned in six years of playing Minnesota Duluth after USF joined the NSIC in 2012. With the tie, USF's 12 points in league play (three wins and three ties) is the most they've earned in a season in their NSIC tenure and they are currently 10th on the league table with the top eight teams earning a spot in the NSIC Tournament.
For the game, USF was out-shot by Minnesota Duluth by a 25-12 margin, including an 8-3 edge in shots on goal. Minnesota Duluth opened the scoring quickly, connecting on their third shot of the game for a goal in the 11th minute.
Morgan Lovato had USF's first chance at equalizing, but her shot was saved in the 24th minute.
Becca Schmitz and
Alexandria Scott both had shots blocked and
Lindsey Power's service on the first of USF's two corner kicks couldn't lead to the tying goal. Lovato had another shot sail high and the USF defense held to keep the deficit at one goal entering halftime.
Morgan Perkins continued to stand tall in goal for the Cougars, shaking off the first goal to finish the game with seven saves. She made a pair of saves early in the second half before USF responded with shots from
Chessa Novotny and
McKayla Philippi, the latter of which came off Power's corner kick that narrowly missed wide.
With less than 10 minutes remaining, LaFavre connected on her game-tying goal. Power served in a ball after a foul by the Bulldogs and LaFavre's 82nd-minute tally was her fifth of the season and tied the game at 1-1.
Looking to end the game in regulation, Lovato had her third shot of the day saved in the 85th minute, just before Perkins made another save to preserve the tie and send the game to overtime.
In the first overtime period, Lovato had another shot sail wide of the net and Perkins recorded a save, keeping the game tied. In the final 10-minute period, USF dictated the action, recording three shots, including one each from LaFavre and Novotny in the first minute, but neither landed on frame. Attempting to beat the final horn, Scott launched a long shot that sailed just over the crossbar, right before the buzzer sounded.
The Cougars return to the USF Sports Complex to host Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston on Oct. 21 and 22, respectively.
