Southern Miss Soccer ended in a tie for the first time this season against Western Kentucky on Thursday, Sept. 21.
WKU was strong on the attack early, shooting twice as much as Southern Miss in the first half. Goalkeeper Kelly Brahmbhatt kept the clean sheet alive with six saves on the day.
In the twenty-fifth minute, the Hilltoppers did find the back of the net. Unfortunately for them, the goal was rescinded due to an offside penalty. WKU’s second true threat came late in the first half as they were awarded a penalty kick, missing wide left.
Southern Miss struggled to possess in the opening half; however, halftime adjustments proved to even the playing field. Despite multiple attacking stretches, the Golden Eagles could not find their way through the final third.
In the 85th minute, Southern Miss found its advantage as Western Kentucky was handed a red card on a hard challenge. This gave the Golden Eagles an edge in number, but even this was not enough to trump their fatigue.
“There were moments where we were finding the spare man,” said Head Coach Mohammed El-Zaire. “Sometimes your fatigue will fail your technique, but I am pleased with effort and how we were organized.”
Although each team wanted to leave with three points in conference play, not even double-overtime could separate these two squads. Becky McMullan led the way with 3 shots, two on goal, as the Golden Eagles took a draw against Western Kentucky.
