Jacksonville, AL – After falling behind 2-0 in the 53rd minute, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) soccer team rallied with a pair of goals from Rachel Bradberry to send the match to overtime, before Morgan Drawdy scored a game winner in the final minute of overtime, Friday, at JSU Soccer Complex.
Jacksonville State struck first, scoring the only goal of the first half in the 10th minute.
The score remained unchanged until the Gamecocks struck again in the 53rd minute, taking a two goal advantage over the Govs.
Trailing 2-0, it didn’t take the Governors long to respond. In the 54th minute, just 48 seconds after the Gamecocks goal, Gwynevere Cardinal fired a shot off the post. Bradberry found the loose ball and put it past the Jacksonville State keeper to bring the Govs deficit back to one.
In the 66th minute, Bradberry secured her career’s first multi-goal performance. This time, Bradberry battled for the rebound off a Claire Larose shot, and snuck it just under the Gamecock keeper to tie the match at two. The Madison, Alabama, native’s brace were the third and fourth of her career.
At the end of regulation, the match remained deadlocked at two, thanks in part to a four save performance from the Govs senior keeper Mary Parker Powell. After the first 10-minute overtime period, the score was unchanged.
In the 110th minute, the Governors drew a foul, receiving a free kick from 10 yards outside the penalty area. Drawdy took the free kick for the Governors, and put it just over the outstretched hands of the Gamecocks keeper for the walk-off winner. For Drawdy, it was her seasons first goal and the fourth game winning goal of her career.
After her two goal performance, Bradberry has moved into the team lead, with three goals on her season. Larose remains as the points leader for the Governors, thanks to her season’s third assist on the Bradberry goal in the 66th minute. Drawdy’s goal gave her three points on the season, and made her the ninth Governor to score this season.
APSU Head Coach Naomi Kolarova Thoughts
Opening remarks
“Tonight’s game was literally end to end action from both teams. I am so incredibly proud of the how hard we battled to comeback being two goals down and make our opportunities count
On the Govs bench
“Rachel Bradberry, Karley Roberts and Gwen Cardinal played fantastic tonight. They were absolute game changers coming off our bench, it’s so good to see those girls come in and make a difference.
Moving forwards
“We absolutely need another win in conference play. We’ve been frustrating ourselves a lot lately, but the energy and fight that our team brought tonight to find that win was fantastic.”
Next Up For APSU Soccer
The APSU Governors will have the rest of the weekend off, before hosting Morehead State for a 5:00pm match next Friday at Morgan Brothers Soccer Field. The following Sunday, October 20th, the Govs will make the short trip to Murray State for a 1:00pm First Financial Battle of the Border matchup.
