ABILENE, Texas – After being down a goal, the Louisiana Tech Soccer team netted an equalizer in the second half and then the game winner in the first overtime period to claim a 2-1 victory over Abilene Christian on Saturday afternoon at Elmer Gray Stadium.
 
After a scoreless first period, ACU (2-2-1) got on the scoreboard first early in the second half off a set piece.  LA Tech (1-1-0) quickly answered six minutes later thanks to a header goal by Klesha Darroux.
 
Then just over a minute into OT, the Lady Techsters connected on their own set piece when Tomoyo Kuroyanagi delivered the golden goal to give the team their first win of the 2020-21 season.
 
"It was a great result on the road, fighting back after going a goal down," said head coach Kevin Sherry.  "We stayed in the game and fought hard which enabled us to get that piece of luck we needed in overtime.  ACU was a very good team who caused us problems all game, but we hung in there and kept competing which was great to see. 
 
"We changed formation in the second half which helped us match up and we had to be patient until an opportunity came along."
 
The LA Tech defense stood tall early in the game, withstanding three shots and two corner kicks in the first 15 minutes.  One of those shots was a blast from 15 yards out, but Maggie Boston (making her first career start) pushed the ball over the crossbar. 
 
Boston made another great stop at the 22-minute mark, this one with a fully-extended dive to her right on a low shot to the far post. 
 
For the Lady Techsters in the first period, they were only able to generate scoring opportunities on set pieces.  All three shots came off free kicks, but all three were off target.
 
In the 52nd minute was when the Wildcats cracked the scoreboard first as Alyssia Anuat found the back of the left off a free kick that bent inside the far post from 25 yards away.
 
The lead was short-lived as Erin Chung dispossessed a Wildcat, pushed the ball up the right flank and sent a cross into the box where a charging Darroux headed the ball in for the equalizer.
 
ACU continued to push forward, amassing 12 shot attempts in the second half, but LA Tech was able to force an extra frame. 
 
The only shot taken in overtime was in the 92nd minute when the freshman Kuroyanagi took a free kick from 30 yards out from the wide left part of the field.  The shot was placed under the crossbar and snuck across the goal line.
 
The Lady Techsters needed only six shot attempts to generate their two goals.  Boston picked up the victory in net after recording six saves on the day.
 
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