CONWAY, Ark. – Trailing 2-0 in the second half, Lamar University (5-6, 2-1 SLC) survived a battle at Central Arkansas (1-8-1, 0-3 SLC) on Sunday, stringing together three straight goals to win 3-2 in overtime. The match featured 34 fouls and four yellow cards between Big Red and the Sugar Bears.
 
The game was scoreless in the first half despite 13 shots combined, seven of which were on-goal. Sandra Nygard and the UCA keeper were on their game in the opening 45 minutes with four saves for Nygard and three for the Sugar Bears goalie. The physicality had not escalated fully in the first half either; there were just six combined and no yellow cards in the first half.
 
UCA struck quickly in the second half, scoring in the 47th minute. Anika Sultan was found by Connie Awuku-Darkoh, and Sultan put it in the high left corner of the Cardinal goal. Awuku-Darkoh called her own number in the 65th minute and scored a shot she fired into the bottom right corner. Nygard faced an additional two shots on goal in the second half, both of which she saved.
 
With the game on the line Coach Holeman turned to his veterans to carry the team forward. Lucy Ashworth made an outstanding pass to Sophia Manibo, who fired a shot in the bottom right corner of the Sugar Bears goal, pulling LU within one, 2-1, just 39 seconds after UCA scored its second goal.
 
Anna Loftus evened up the score just two minutes later. The sophomore from Milton Keynes, England, created her own offense by dancing herself free of the UCA defenders. She deftly placed a shot in the bottom left corner, tying the game at 2-2 with just about 23 minutes left in the game.
 
Kaisa Juvonen, Ashworth, and Esther Okoronkwo all did their best to end the match in regulation with shots on goal, but each of them had their attempts saved. UCA had six shots either blocked or saved in the second half, including one as late as the 84th minute that traveled over the cross bar.
 
The game-winning goal for Lamar came in overtime. Hailey Loupe called her own number in the 92nd minute but had her shot blocked, and early in the 95th minute Ashworth had a shot saved. LU drew a foul in the box, forcing a penalty kick from Okoronkwo. The redshirt junior from Richmond, Texas, made the shot and ended the game with a golden goal, giving Lamar a 3-2 win.
 
Big Red returns to action on Oct. 4 when Stephen F. Austin (4-6, 1-2 SLC) comes to the LU Soccer Complex. Sam Houston State (4-5-1, 2-0-1 SLC) will be in town on Oct. 6 before Lamar heads to Southeastern Louisiana (1-8-1, 0-3 SLC) on Oct. 11.