FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. ? Kentucky?s Kristin Moyer forced overtime with an 86th minute goal as UK and Arkansas battled to a 1-1 double-overtime tie Sunday afternoon at Lady ?Back Field. UK remains unbeaten in its last five matches and moves to 4-4-1 and 1-0-1 in conference play.
The first half featured few scoring opportunities for either team. In a period without a corner kick for the Cats or the Hogs, Kentucky failed to manage a shot until the 39th minute, when Kelsey Fenix?s line drive from 17 yards sailed far to the left of the goal. Fenix also struck another line drive two minutes later from 16 yards that sailed well over the goal. Kentucky goalkeeper Liz Butler faced five shots in the first half and made her only save of the half in the 43rd minute off of a bending shot from Arkansas? Carmen Davis.
The pace picked up early in the second half, though neither team managed a score. UK?s Alli Haeussler served a dangerous cross into the box in the 52nd minute, but the Cats failed to capitalize. Arkansas? Katie Stauffer struck a shot in the 53rd minute, and UK?s Butler recorded the save. Kentucky initiated its first corner kick in the 58th minute and came up empty.
A 65th minute Arkansas corner kick also proved fruitless, but the Hogs got on the board in the 69th minute when Sarah Gwisdala struck a soft, bending shot into the right side of the goal for a 1-0 Arkansas lead. After the teams exchanged possessions over the ensuing 15 minutes, Kentucky?s Kristin Moyer tied the match in the closing minutes. The junior from Niwot, Colo, headed in a Kristen Jedlo corner kick from three yards out, marking her second conversion from a corner kick this season.
In the first overtime, Arkansas nearly ended the match on a shot from Carmen Davis, but Butler thwarted the Hogs? victory hopes with a diving save. The Kentucky backfield cleared the rebound before Arkansas could fire another shot.
In the second overtime period, an Arkansas defender was served a yellow card for a hard tackle on UK?s Elisabeth Jones. Ashley Janning served a free kick deep from the left flank, but Arkansas? Carrie Dillsaver stood tall for the save. Haeussler drilled a 23-yard line drive from the middle of the pitch in the 107th minute, and Dillsaver scored another save. Two minutes later, Dillsaver escaped her box in pursuit of a loose ball in the right flank. Elisabeth Jones corralled the ball and sent a shot toward the goal but the ball fell harmlessly onto the outside of the net. One last Haeussler shot sailed wide in the final minute.
The Cats return home next weekend for a pair of matches against Alabama and Auburn at the UK Soccer Complex.
