Missouri State's Lauren Heck scored her first goal of the season with 2:13 left on the clock in the final overtime period to give the Bears a Missouri Valley Conference win over the University of Evansville, Sunday, at Plaster Field. Missouri State improves to 9-5-1 and evens its MVC record to 2-2. Evansville drops to 5-6-0 on the season and 1-1 in the conference.
Senior Chelsea Anderson got the Bears off to a winning start with the first two goals of the match. Caroline Sweeney assisted the first goal as she dribbled around a Purple Ace defender and sent a cross to Anderson who headed the ball to the far post from six yards out. Anderson struck again in the 22nd minute of the game off a through ball from Kate Blair. Anderson found herself one-on-one with Evansville's goalkeeper and fired a shot to the back of the net to put the Bears up 2-0. The goals were Anderson's second and third of the season.
The Purple Aces put a goal on the scoreboard at 36:18 as a pass from Heidi Grey found Mia Tofano who trickled the ball to the right of Missouri State's sliding goalie.
Missouri State's Jenna Laughlin added another goal two and half minutes before the end of the first half. A pass from Jessica Smits was taken by Nicole Logan who sent the ball down the field to give Laughlin an excellent scoring opportunity as she blasted the ball to the right of EU's Whitney Raeon.
Evansville started the second half with Mia Tofano's second score of the contest at 55:30. Julie Winkler sent a pass down the field that found Tafano who kicked the ball to the right of the Bears' keeper Jackie Jasper to bring the score to 3-2.
The Purple Aces tied the game with just 1:41 to play in regulation. Missouri State keeper Jackie Jasper found herself too far out of the net and EU's Grey took advantage as she received the ball from Tofano and rocketed it into an open net, sending the game into overtime.
It was in the second overtime period that a corner kick from Jessica Smits was perfectly placed in front of the goal. Heck headed the ball between the posts with only 2:13 to play in the match and earned the Bears the 4-3 victory.
Jasper marked six saves in the goal for the Bears and EU's Whitney Raeon recorded seven on the contest.
The Missouri State women's soccer team will play a non-conference game against Oral Roberts University on Wednesday, Oct. 11, in Tulsa, Okla. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m.
