Cal Poly standout forward Justine Barclay had two golden scoring opportunities when she found herself alone in the box in possession of deflected balls, but was called offside both times.
The story was the same in the second half as both teams failed to put the final touch on the few scoring chances that arose. This time the Gators had the better opportunities.
The SF State offense has struggled all season, having yet to score a goal in regulation time. The Gators’ primary scoring threat Williams had the strongest chances at goal, but had difficulty putting them on target against the staunch Cal Poly defense. Three of her five shots were deflected by defenders before they could pose a threat.
“It was frustrating… They didn’t fall for anything. They got their foot onto everything. It was hard to get past them,” Williams said.
The Gators were the better team in overtime, playing with a higher energy level and putting together the lion’s share of scoring chances. Gator assistant coach Stephanie Wieger believes their experience in overtime games gave them the advantage in the extra period.
“(The Gators’) body language when we’ve gone into these overtime games is like ‘OK, we’re ready to go.’ If they go out there with that attitude every time, we’re gonna end up winning. At the end of that game we were disappointed that we tied. Pomona was just like ‘let us go home’,” Wieger said.
Another golden goal seemed to be in the making when junior midfielder Nicole Vanni fired a shot from 30 yards out in the 92 minute. The Bronco keeper was out of position, leaving a gaping hole at the near post. The shot missed the top corner by just a few feet.
Chances were scarce in the second overtime. Neither team was able to put together a quality scoring chance, as fatigue seemed to sap the focus of both squads. Having played in eight overtime periods in an eight-day span, it’s easy to understand the Gators’ low energy reserve.
“(The Gators) looked like they were the fitter team out there, but look, you play that many minutes you kind of get tuckered out,” Wieger said.
The draw moves the Gators to 3-0-1 on the season with a match-up against nationally ranked UC San Diego on Friday.
