GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Close didn't quite count for Lady Argo soccer against Carroll College. UGF led for 38 minutes and came three minutes away from squeaking out a tied, but let up a goal in the 107th minute to fall 2-1 OT to the defending conference champions.
Carroll got out to a strong start, peppering the Lady Argo net with 9 shots, 4 corners, and 3 shots on goal before UGF could get off its first shot of the game. Through that barrage, redshirt-junior goalkeeper Kyra Dorvall made her first three saves, starting what would be a very busy day for her.
UGF first shot came in the 18th minute and the second wouldn't come till a Lady Argo cross in the 41st minute that found the head of freshman Eme McLaughlin. McLaughlin's header deflected off of a Carroll defender but bounced across the face of the net and right to unguarded sophomore Malena Lennon, who headed it in for her second goal in three games.
Before the half ended, Carroll got one more shot on goal, which required an athletic diving save from Dorvall, lunging to her left in middle of left-to-right shuffle across the goal line.
The second half was more of the same, with UGF facing almost continual pressure from the Fighting Saints. As the clock ticked to under 15 minute left in regulation, a feeling that the Lady Argos might just hang on hung in the air.
It was not to be.
In the 79th minute, Carroll's Christina Plank got on the end of a scramble inside the UGF 6-yard box and got enough of the ball to punch it home for the equalizer.
Overtime appeared inevitable until a Lady Argo corner in the 89th minute. The set piece was taken by senior midfielder Katelyn Duncan and while the initial ball was thwarted by the Saint's defense, it fell right back to Duncan who found junior defender Grace Ibsen open inside Carroll's penalty box. Ibsen's shot was bound for the goal, but Carroll's keeper Jamie Carter got in the way at the last second.
That effort was the last of regulation with the score tied a 1-1 heading into overtime.
Carroll was in control once again in the first overtime period, outshooting UGF 6-0 but the Lady Argos almost ended it early in the second overtime period. During a loose-ball scramble inside the Carroll penalty box, junior midfielder Serafina Robles got a hold of the ball and while the Saint's slowed it down, the ball stayed on target before a Carroll defender swooped in to clear the ball right before it crossed the goal line.
The Lady Argos got another shot on goal a few minutes later, but that was also saved.
Then, in the 107th minute, Carroll's Talya Vaira received the ball in the middle of the UGF box and got her shot past Dorvall to win the game 2-1 OT.
Despite the loss, Dorvall played one of her finest games, finishing with 12 saves, her second highest total of season.
The loss ends a 2-game winning streak for the Lady Argos, bringing the team's record to 2-8 (2-5). UGF's next test will be a road game against Northwest University on October 14 at 4 p.m. MT.
