Photo by Jake McNeill Olivia Enderson tries to make some space between herself and a defender as she fires off a shot in the Tigers’ win over Mankato Loyola Thursday night

MARSHALL — Overtime wasn’t enough to decide a winner in the Tigers’ Thursday night tilt against the Mankato Loyola Crusaders, as the two soccer teams reached the conclusion of extra time with a 1-1 tie.

Maddy Van Kuelen scored just over a minute into the game off an assist from Averi Schneider. Van Keulen received teh cross angled across the box and sent the ball on the ground rolling just past the opposing keeper to give the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.

The Crusaders answered less than 10 minutes later with the equalizer. The Tiger defenders attempted to chase down a Mankato Loyola wing on a breakaway, but were unable to catch up. The keeper tipped the ball to slow it down, but wasn’t able to chase it down in time before it crossed the goal line, giving the Crusaders the tying goal with just over 30 minutes to play in regulation.

The Tigers were able to get several other scoring chances before the regulation, but were unable to convert on the flurry of shots they sent at the Mankato Loyola Keeper. On one particularly good opportunity, Hannah Gordon threaded a pass between a pair of defenders to Van Keulen. After creating some space, Van Keulen was able to fire off a powerful shot on net, but the goalkeeper lunged forward to block it. The ball got loose, but the Crusaders backs were able to recover and clear the ball before Marshall could get another opportunity to take the lead in the final minutes.

Marshall head coach Jose Losada-Montero tried to switch things up in overtime to maximize his team’s chance for a win. He played aggressively, taking away a back and adding in a forward to try to get the Tigers a goal. While the adjustment may have gotten the Tigers more chances, they were unable to find the game-winner.

Mankato Loyola seemed content to play for a road tie and sat back to play a more defensive style in overtime, Losada-Montero said.

Mental and physical exhaustion were also factors in the Tigers’ inability to pull away, according to Losada-Montero. Between the road game Tuesday against conference-leading St. Peter and then Thursday’s game going to overtime, it was a lot of wear and tear on the team. Additionally, they go on the road again Saturday against New Ulm, making their schedule even more demanding with little time for recovery. As a result, Losada-Montero said they may not have been as focused as they should have been and lost more of the 50-50 balls than they should have.

Adding to this may have been a sense of overconfidence from the early goal, Losada-Montero said. The Tigers’ early success may have lulled them into a false sense of security, and they may have gotten too comfortable to push themselves to a win.

Following the tie, the Tigers now sit at 3-4-1 on the season. They will next play New Ulm on the road Saturday at noon.