ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy women's soccer team went head-to-head with the reigning SEC champions No. 24 LSU for a full 90 minutes and then overtime on Sunday afternoon. Locked in a 0-0 stalemate through regulation, the Mids (1-1) and Tigers (1-1) played another 10:51 of overtime before the visitors left the pitch at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility with a 1-0 golden goal victory at the beginning of the second overtime period.
 
"Our effort and energy was very good this afternoon," remarked head coach Carin Gabarra. "We played a good brand of soccer as we played the ball on the ground and kept possession. We had chances, we just didn't get it done in the final third when we had those opportunities. LSU exposed in a lot of different areas. They are a good counter-attack team with good athletes and they stuck to that game plan very well. We'll work on improving those weaknesses moving forward. We have to let this game sit for a bit and learn from it."
 
In a game in which Navy dominated LSU in most statistical categories, the Mids immediately started pressuring the Tigers with two shots on goal in the first 15 minutes of play. The host team continued controlling the ball in its offensive third and used a well-struck corner kick from Baseley McClaskey (Sr., Grand Junction, Colo.) to challenge LSU's goalkeeper Emma Grace Goldman with a leaping stop in the 21st minute. Outside their initial shot in the 14th minute, the Tigers were held without a shot for the rest of the first half.
 
After 45 minutes of scoreless action, Navy had registered six shots, three on target.
 
Coming out of the locker room, the Mids kept dictating the pace and possession of the contest. In quick succession, Navy tallied two high percentage scoring opportunities with Regan McQuain (Sr., Lafayette, Calif.) ripping a shot towards net only to see it blocked and McClaskey following up the rebound with a shot of her own in the 53rd minute.
 
LSU finally notched its first shot on goal in the 66th minute when Tinaya Alexander put her free kick from 25 yards out on frame. Sydney Fortson (Sr., Claremont, Calif.) was up to the task on the low curling ball.
 
Still deadlocked at 0-0, Navy continued its search for the game's first goal as the team took five shots and were awarded two more corner kicks over the next 20 minutes. After this run of play, the fans at Glenn Warner were treated to a frenetic last three minutes of regulation action. First up in this final rush was a cross from McClaskey that made its way into the box to a waiting Victoria Tran (So., Clarksville, Md.), who backheeled the ball out of mid-air for a looping shot on goal that was just within Goldman's leaping reach in the 88th minute. LSU's response to this near highlight reel play was a breakaway run to goal by Alexander. The Tigers' forward shot was turned away by Fortson with less than 20 seconds to play.
 
With the scoreboard showing all zeroes, the teams moved into sudden victory overtime. The first 10-minute period consisted of just one shot, a wide attempt by Navy's Caitlin Doran (Fr., Queens, N.Y.). LSU broke the scoreless draw 51 seconds into the second OT period when Meghan Johnson came away with a loose ball after a miscue in Navy's defensive third. After recovering the ball, she dribbled unabated towards Fortson, squared up and launched the ball into the back of the net.
 
For the game, Navy outshot LSU, 21-5 with a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal and a 7-1 mark in corner kicks.
 
"We attacked well and our possession was a strength today," said Gabarra. "Our service into the box was good all day. We need to be better organized and show more resilience and grit in the box. We need a little more patience and composure to finish those opportunities that we get.
 
"As a program, we like to play the big teams from the top-level conferences. Today was important for us to get that exposure so when we move into conference play and later we're prepared to those type of challenges."
 
Navy will be back in action this coming Friday afternoon with a match on the road at Charleston Southern University. Kickoff between the Mids and Buccaneers is set for 4:00 p.m.