LITTLE ROCK – 90 minutes of regulation and two overtime periods weren't enough to produce a goal Sunday afternoon as Little Rock and Coastal Carolina battled to a 0-0 tie at the Coleman Sports Complex. The tie pushes the Trojans' record on the year to 6-5-2 and 1-1-2 in Sun Belt Conference play as Little Rock remains unbeaten at home in 2017.
The lack of goals didn't come with a lack of opportunities, however, as both teams showcased explosive offenses. Coastal Carolina registered 25 shots on the game, compared to 18 for Little Rock, as Trojan goalkeeper
Kate Hamilton registered a career-best 10 saves and has yet to allow a goal in her Little Rock career.
Doro Greulich paced the Trojans with five shots, including one on goal, with
Liesa Seifert adding three shots.
Morgan Smocovich, Erna Gudjonsdottir and
Arola Aparicio Gili each took a pair of shots on the game for the Trojans.
Coastal ended the first half with a 10-5 edge in shots as Hamilton recorded four saves over the opening 45 minutes. The back-and-forth continued into the second half as the Chanticleers put a handful of shots on net early in the stanza, but the Trojans kept them at bay.
Looking to end the game in regulation, Little Rock upped its offensive intensity over the final 11 minutes, outshooting Coastal 8-2. The Trojans came within inches of winning it on numerous occasions as
Quin Wilkes sent a shot just over the crossbar in the 80th minute, followed by Greulich taking a long shot that deflected off the crossbar in the 81st minute.
Talia Graves had her shot saved in the 86th minute, but the best chance for Little Rock came in the waning seconds as Seifert's attempt with 38 seconds remaining in regulation struck the right upright, then deflected straight across the goal line but never crossed, sending the match to overtime tied at 0-0.
Hamilton came up big early in the first overtime period, saving a pair of Chanticleer shots in the first three minutes, setting up a golden opportunity for the Trojans to net the golden goal in the 96th minute. With a loose ball coming off a scrum in front of the net, Seifert fired a shot which was deflected by the Coastal goalkeeper, keeping the match scoreless.
Neither team had great looks in the second overtime period as both the Trojans and Chanticleers were forced to settle for one point in the Sun Belt standings.
Little Rock has now completed a home-heavy stretch, which included five of its last six games at Coleman, and now will play four of its final six on the road. That stretch begins this week with a crucial trip to Alabama, beginning with a match up against Troy on Friday, October 6, getting underway at 7 p.m.
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