RAPID CITY, S.D. – Taking control with a 2-0 lead early in the second half, Montana State University Billings conceded a pair of goals late and settled for a 2-2 double-overtime draw against Upper Iowa University in its first game of the 2014 season Friday evening at Sioux Park Field.
Thorge Jess and
Rhys Lambert provided the offense for the Yellowjackets, but it wasn't enough as the Peacocks' Greg Marshall scored twice.
Overall, Upper Iowa (0-0-1) outshot MSUB 18-10 on the game, and collected 11 corners compared with the Yellowjackets' four.
The two sides played physically from the opening whistle, but both defenses held tough to prevent any shots in the opening 20 minutes of the game.
In the 21st minute,
Strom Nuernberger unleashed a shot on target, but Peacock goalkeeper Connor Rortvedt came up with the save to preserve the scoreless affair. Jess found himself with a one-on-one opportunity a minute later, but his attempt sailed just wide to the left of the goal.
UIU countered with an attack of its own, and it took a save by Yellowjacket keeper
Tom Lohmann on a shot by Rafael Pedroso in the 26th minute to keep the score knotted at 0-0.
The deadlock didn't last for long, however, as Jess came through with his first goal of the season in the 31st minute.
Sam Butterworth beat a Peacock defender and sent in a cross that found Jess's head before penetrating the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
In the 40th minute, Lambert took a free kick from the left side of the field, missing the frame just out of the keeper's reach.
Lohmann came up big again for MSUB just before the break, knocking down another shot by Pedroso that was headed towards the goal.
MSUB came out of the halftime break with a quick goal, by Lambert, who flicked in a free kick from Butterworth to give the 'Jackets a 2-0 lead.
In the 51st minute, Jess nearly doubled his tally, but Rortvedt made a save to keep his team afloat.
The Peacocks earned four corner kicks in close succession with 53 minutes gone in the match, the last of which resulted in the first goal by Marshall to get UIU back into the match.
The Peacocks earned two more corner kicks five minutes later, but a save by Lohmann in between the two prevented UIU from evening the score.
With 25 minutes to play, Marshall again found the back of the net, pulling the Peacocks even at 2-2 at a crucial stage in the game.
Down a player due to a red card, MSUB kept the pressure on the Peacocks' back line with shots by
Daragh Kavanagh and
Kyle Davis that required saves by Rortvedt down the stretch.
No shots found the target through the closing minutes, and with the final whistle the teams prepared for overtime. The Peacocks took three shots in the first overtime period, and Lohmann kept MSUB alive with a pair of saves.
Nuernberger placed another shot on target in the second overtime period, but Rortvedt came through when his team needed him most to keep the score at 2-2. Neither team could muster a shot as time wound down, and the clock expired with the scoreboard still reading 2-2.
NEXT UP: The 'Jackets finish their brief two-game, season-opening road trip on Sunday against the University of Illinois Springfield in Rapid City. Kickoff time is set for 11 a.m., with live statistics available online.
