Western Illinois earns draw at SDSU

BROOKINGS, S.D. – Jordan Spaciel's goal in the 33rd minute helped Western Illinois overcome an early deficit in a 1-1 draw at South Dakota State on Sunday, Oct. 10.

The Fighting Leathernecks (6-4-4, 2-1-1 Summit) fell behind in the 4th minute when South Dakota State's Kayla Braffet picked up a centering pass from Kaitlin Justice and fired a shot into the top right-hand corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.

Western would battle back to tie the match at 1-1 when Jordan Spaciel, streaking down the left side, received a pass from Kelly Diershow over the top of the Jackrabbit defense.

Spaciel fired a shot into the right side of the goal for the equalizer in the 33rd minute. It was Spaciel's third goal of the season and places her in a tie with Jenny Green for the team lead.

"We had really great possession in the center of the field on the build-up to the goal," Spaciel said. "Kelly Diershow fed me a nice pass over the top of the defense and I was able to get behind them for a shot."

Neither team could find the go-ahead goal in the final 57 minutes of regulation, though both teams had quality chances. Spaciel made a terrific run down the right side of the defense in the 37th minute and fired a rocket that was stopped by SDSU goalkeeper Elisa Stamatakis.

South Dakota State nearly found the game-winner in the 85th minute, but a shot by Justice hit off the crossbar and bounced away as the teams headed to overtime.

Western was limited to just one shot in overtime while the Jackrabbits took seven, but the Leatherneck defense held strong in the closing minutes to preserve the draw.

"A lot of people don't understand how big a tie can be in soccer," said senior captain Jenny Green. "At the end of the day you get a point in the standings from a tie and that can be big when it comes to qualifying for the conference title. Our team showed a lot of heart today in coming from behind to get a big result on the road."

Laura Atkinson (5-3-4) picked up the decision and made six stops in the contest. Spaciel led Western with four shots on the day and Diershow finished with three.

Western Illinois returns home to face Oral Roberts on Friday before taking on Centenary on Sunday. The weekend matches mark the final home games for the Leathernecks this season.

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Players Mentioned

#18 Jenny Green: D; Senior

#22 Kelly Diershow: F; Senior

#13 Jordan Spaciel: M/F; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#18 Jenny Green
: Senior
: D

#22 Kelly Diershow
: Senior
: F

#13 Jordan Spaciel
: Freshman
: M/F

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Players Mentioned

#18 Jenny Green

#22 Kelly Diershow

#13 Jordan Spaciel

Players Mentioned

#18 Jenny Green

#22 Kelly Diershow

#13 Jordan Spaciel