Louisiana rallied from a two-goal deficit in the second half, scoring twice in a four-minute span to earn a 3-3 draw against East Texas A&M on Thursday at Lion Soccer Field.
Louisiana (1-1-1) trailed 3-1 early in the second half before Miku Kurihara converted a penalty kick in the 69th minute for her third goal of the season and Maria Reyes scored off a rebound in the 73rd minute for the equalizer. Louisiana finished with an 11-7 advantage in shots in the second half – including 10 in the final 22 minutes – and held a 19-15 edge for the match.
East Texas A&M (1-1-1) struck first in the fifth minute when Addison Eli scored following a turnover at the top of the box, but Louisiana answered just over six minutes later. Carson Glenn collected a pass from Addison Soehn and scored on a turnaround in the box in the 11th minute to make it 1-1.
The Lions regained the lead in the 18th minute when Allyson Reed converted a penalty kick after a foul in the box during a corner kick. The penalty was awarded following a video review, sending East Texas A&M into halftime with a 2-1 advantage.
The Lions extended their lead just over two minutes into the second half when Addisen Ramirez scored from 12 yards after receiving a through pass from Kristen Sueltz. Louisiana responded by cutting the deficit in half when Kurihara converted from the penalty spot in the 69th minute after Glenn drew a foul in the ETAMU box.
Louisiana completed the comeback less than four minutes later. Salma Elhaimer's shot from the top of the box was saved by East Texas A&M goalkeeper Makayla Gonzalez, but Reyes followed the play and buried the rebound in the 73rd minute to tie the match at 3-3 for her first goal in a Cajuns’ uniform.
The Cajuns continued to push for the potential go-ahead goal, recording four shots in the final 10 minutes, but Gonzalez made saves on attempts by Glenn and Kurihara in the closing minutes.
Natalie Mayes played all 90 minutes in goal for Louisiana and finished with five saves. Gonzalez made four saves after taking over in goal at halftime. Louisiana put 10 of its 19 shots on target, while East Texas A&M had eight shots on goal.
Kurihara led Louisiana with five shots, including three on goal, while Glenn added five shots and scored her first goal of the season.
Louisiana will return to action on Sunday when it entertains Northwestern State in a 6 p.m. contest at the Home Bank Soccer and Track Complex. Admission to all Louisiana home soccer matches is free.
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