MOBILE, Ala. – Louisiana scored the tying goal with 11 seconds left in regulation and after 110 minutes, departed with a 1-1 tie against the University of South Alabama soccer team Friday night at The Cage.
The Jaguars go to 7-8-1 overall and 5-3-1 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Ragin' Cajuns move to 3-11-3 and 2-6-1.
GAME FACTS
- Louisiana held a 20-19 advantage in shots and an 11-10 edge in shots on goal, but South Alabama recorded five of the six shots in extra time
- Freshman
Morgan Cross put the Jags on top at 41:10 on a long pass from senior
Hannah Godfrey, and
Erika Sierra knotted the score at 1-1 at 89:49 after tapping in a rebound from
Gwen Mummert
- Jaguar freshman
Moa Öhman missed from close range in the eighth minute, and nine minutes later, Sierra missed a chance following a USA turnover
- Sierra forced a diving save from Stanford in the 31st minute, and again 40 seconds later on a header off a corner kick
- USA looked to get on the scoreboard first at 37:17 but a goal from freshman
Brianna Mascia was ruled out for offsides
- Following Cross' goal, Godfrey nearly made it 2-0 in the last minute of the first half but her header across the goalmouth went just wide right
- Six minutes into the second half, freshman
Brenna McPartlan pounced on a Cajun miscue and sent a shot straight to LA goalkeeper
Mackenzie Lee
- Louisiana pushed for the equalizer late in the contest, outshooting South Alabama 9-2 in the final 15 minutes, with six attempts hitting the target
- USA goalkeeper
Justice Stanford did her part to keep the Jags in the game, making three saves in a three-minute span, including tipping one over the bar at 79:41
- Mummert's header in the final seconds was saved by Stanford off the crossbar, but Sierra was there to bounce on the rebound and send the game into overtime
- USA junior
Briana Morris had two chances in OT, putting a close-range shot on target just over a minute in, then blasting a 1-on-1 attempt right at Lee with just under three minutes left in the game
- Jaguar freshman
Ellie Kane had her shot tipped over the bar by Lee in the 94th minute
NOTES
- Louisiana's goal was its first in five games, dating back to a 1-0 win over Arkansas State on Sept. 28
- South Alabama is 3-3-4 all-time vs. Louisiana in Mobile
- USA is 4-1-1 in its last six outings
- Cross is now tied for second on the team with three goals, and is third with seven points
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
Overall thoughts: "I'm disappointed to tie; I thought we deserved to win. They made it difficult in the end. We defended, couldn't seem to clear our lines, couldn't get an organized shape and we had to change tactics three times. We attacked first with a back three, then it got dicey and went to a back four hoping to see the game out and with 11 seconds left we give up a goal. In extra time, we again went with three up top and create arguably the best chance of the game, going 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper. That's the story of our season, unfortunately. We can't convert those golden chances and defensively we make silly little mistakes. I thought we had some massive performances from lots of players. That's about the gist of it."
On not being able to convert chances: "It's not through a lack of effort on their part. We're in there training each and every day. It's like there's a force field in front of that goal. When Morgan scored early on, we created two or three chances that I thought were phenomenal. In the second half there was one that skipped across the edge from a Tilly Wilkes free kick and we were a half a second too late. These are things that are unexplainable when you're in a season like this, but I'm a firm believer in working hard. We'll go back to practice again in two days, clear our heads, come back Monday and get ready for a big game Thursday against Troy."
On Godfrey: "It's an emotional night, senior night. Hannah Godfrey epitomizes South Alabama Soccer. She came off the field, with what could be a broken hand, and said, 'I broke my hand but I'm going back.' She's driven, she plays hard for the team and the university. She's a heartbeat for us and we're going to miss her, but tonight we had some other girls stepping up in that leadership role, and hopefully she can pass that torch on."
UP NEXT
The Jaguars wrap up the regular season Thursday night at 7 p.m. against Troy.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the Upper 90 Club, the soccer specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All gifts to the Upper 90 Club go directly to support the South Alabama soccer program. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/upper90
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