HOUSTON – The Rice soccer team was able to force overtime with a dramatic goal in the final seconds of regulation, but FAU slipped away with a 3-2 Conference USA win in double-overtime Sunday afternoon in Houston.

Rice struck first for a goal in the game’s 30th minute after freshman Marissa Topolski played a sharp cross from the left side to Danielle Spriggs in the FAU keeper’s box. Spriggs punched a shot to the back of the net for a 1-0 lead on her third goal of the season.

FAU bounced back to take the lead before the intermission. The duo of Sammy Rowland and Alex Mastrobuono came off the bench to score in the 34th and 39th minute of the game, respectively, both with their first goals of the year.

Rice turned up the offensive pressure with a 14-5 advantage in shots for the second half, but could not find the equalizer… until the very end of regulation. With 57 seconds ticking on the clock, the game’s 90th minute, Dominque Mazero’s shot was blocked over the endline. With 40 seconds to go Lauren Hughes served the subsequent corner and hustled in to take a shot as the stadium announcer was counting down the final ten seconds of regulation.

FAU successfully blocked Hughes’ shot, but the ball bounded away. Though normally a defender, senior Jasmine Isokpunwu, alertly played forward in the situation and opportunistically chipped the deflection into the back of the FAU net with just two seconds left on the game clock. Isokpunwu’s second goal of the season made the score 2-2 and sent the match into overtime.

The contest was deadlocked after the first OT. In the game’s 102nd minute FAU improvised counter attack after a steal, where Geovana Alves notched the game-winning goal with a slicing shot from the left wing to the ride-side netting of the Rice goal. The score was Alves’ team-leading sixth goal of the season.

Rice is now 6-5-1 overall and 2-2-0 in C-USA league play. The Blue & Gray finished with a 22-16 advantage in shots and 7-3 margin in corner kicks. FAU is now 7-7-0 on the season and 1-3-0 in conference.

The Owls have completed the weekend homestand and are on the road for both of the next two C-USA matches. Rice plays at Old Dominion on Friday night (Oct. 9), followed by a game at Charlotte on Sunday (Oct. 11).

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