MOSCOW, Idaho – It was a messy afternoon at Guy Wicks Field but Idaho (8-4-4, 5-1-2) earned a draw against Northern Arizona (6-7-4, 3-2-3), 2-2, with some last-second heroics from defender Amanda Pease.
 
"It was a very exciting game," said head coach Derek Pittman.  "Credit to Northern Arizona, they came in and had a good game plan.  They played very direct, just looking to flick the ball on, and caused us some problems.  We made a mistake tracking a runner at the very beginning of the game, which allowed them to score the first goal.  But after we fixed that, we were definitely the better team today.  We created the most chances, in the end we were just a little bit unlucky in front of their goal.
 
"Their goalkeeper made some huge saves for them today, held on to a lot of stuff in sloppy conditions.  But for us to score with five seconds left to send it to overtime just shows our resilience and our mentality to continue fighting no matter what the conditions are."
 
Idaho needed just about every second on the clock to get the final equalizer, with Amanda Pease scoring her first goal of the season.  The Vandals kept the pressure on after going down in the 71^st, with a number of opportunities in front going begging.  Idaho earned a corner with 30 seconds remaining and, after a couple of deflections, the ball found Pease who crushed a shot into the top of the net with just five seconds remaining to force overtime.
 
NAU got on the board early, with Ali Lixandru finding a seam in the defense and scoring her second of the season.
 
The Vandals leveled the score in the 15^th.  Emma Eddy picked up the ball inside the box and patiently scanned her options before sending in a low cross to Clara Gomez at the near post.  Gomez managed to find space and one-timed a shot into the inside side netting for her fourth of 2016.
 
NAU broke the tie in the 71^st minute.  Riley Porter picked a loose ball at the top of the box and sent in a lobbed shot that took an unlucky hop and slipped past Torell Stewart.
 
With Sacramento State's win, Idaho now sits in a tie for first with 17 points, three points clear of EWU and Montana.  Sacramento State has just one game remaining, while Idaho, EWU and Montana all have two.  The Vandals can clinch at least a share of the regular season championship with a win on Sunday.
 
Next up is a clash with Southern Utah on Sunday at 1 p.m.  The game will serve as the annual Pink Game, with the first 100 fans taking home free t-shirts.
 
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho soccer by following the team on Twitter and Instagram, @VandalsSoccer, or on Facebook by searching Idaho Vandals Women's Soccer.

For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com.  Fans can also find Idaho on Twitter and Instagram, @Idaho_Vandals, or on Facebook by searching Idaho Vandals.