LAFAYETTE, La. – After 110 minutes between the two teams, neither the University of South Alabama soccer team nor Louisiana was able to hit the back of the net as the sides settled for a 0-0 draw Sunday afternoon at the Ragin' Cajuns Track/Soccer Facility.
The Jags move to 6-2-2 overall and 1-0-1 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Cajuns go to 4-3-2 and 0-0-1.
GAME FACTS
- Action was limited in the first half, with just five shots total, and the only shot on goal of the period came with 33 seconds left before intermission
- USA's best chance early in the second half came when a cross rolled through the 18-yard box but junior
Deanna Green was able to get a foot on it
- The Jaguars started piling on pressure in the final 10 minutes, gaining several corner kicks and a shot from graduate
Chloe McGlade was saved off the line at 83:08
- Louisiana picked off a pass deep in the South Alabama defensive third, but Skyla Sykes' breakaway was stymied by senior
Justice Stanford at 85:36
- McGlade went close again in the final minute, but her shot from 16 yards out went straight to Louisiana goalkeeper Mackenzie Lee
- Sykes managed to get a shot off four minutes into the first OT but it was easily saved by Stanford
- Telly Vunipola tested Stanford in the 103rd minute in the upper right corner with a shot but it was tipped over
- Sophomore
Brenna McPartlan's attempt off a set piece was drilled low through a crowd, but saved by Lee at 105:37
- Stanford made another leaping save in the final minute of double overtime to deny Vunipola again
- Stanford finished the contest with four saves for her third clean sheet of the season; Lee made five stops
NOTES
- South Alabama has played in back-to-back double overtime games for the first time since September 2017
- USA has recorded two draws in a season for the first time since 2015
- The last two games vs. Louisiana have been draws (1-1 in 2018)
- The Jaguars are 6-1-3 all time in Lafayette
- Stanford tallied her 27th career shutout, bringing her three shy of fourth place in Sun Belt history
- The Jaguars are 4-1-5 in overtime games since the start of the 2017 season
- The two teams combined for just 11 shots in regulation, which would have been the lowest combined total in a game since at least 2009
- The Jaguars' last 0-0 draw was the 2016 season opener at Samford
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richard Moodie
Overall thoughts: "I'm really proud of the girls. We left at 4 a.m. on Wednesday, and here we are at 4 p.m. on Sunday and we played 219 minutes of soccer. Their efforts are commendable and they worked hard to get four points on the road on a difficult weekend. We're happy with the performances and we'll get back to training this week."
On why it took 90 minutes for both teams to get going: "For us, it's obviously fatigue after the game on Thursday. Louisiana was good in the first 45 and I thought we were the better team in the second 45. It took us awhile to get going. We had two or three half-chances – free kicks and corners – that we've been able to score on in the last couple of games, but we weren't able to take them today for some reason. We'll get back to the drawing board and right those areas of the game."
On Stanford's saves: "She was massive today. We gave them an opportunity to win the game and she comes up with a massive save with her foot. In overtime, they had four or five people around our goalkeeper and she was still able to fight them off and get to the ball. I'm really proud of her efforts. I'll continue to argue that she's the best goalkeeper in the conference. Not only can she win or keep us in games, she demonstrates what a leader she is. She certainly rescued the point for us."
UP NEXT
The Jaguars return home for the first time in almost a month on Friday to host ULM at 7 p.m.
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
—USA—
