Sophomore Alex Arlitt and freshman Colby Maffei each found the back of the net in the second half with their second goals of the 2012 season as the LSU Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs played to a 2-2 draw in 110 minutes of action on Sunday afternoon at the Turner Soccer Complex.

The Tigers (5-4-4, 1-3-2 SEC) are now unbeaten in their last two meetings with the Bulldogs (5-6-2, 1-3-2) and four of their last five dating back to the 2008 season as they will head home with four points from their first Southeastern Conference road trip of the year. LSU has earned a total of five points in league play this season.

The Tigers scored their first league win of the season with a 1-0 shutout of Mississippi State in Starkville on Friday night.

“To come away with four points on our first SEC road weekend is satisfying,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “We’ve now got to get back to Baton Rouge and defend our home field better than what we have to this point in the season. We’re excited for the opportunity.”

After the sides played to a scoreless draw in the first half, they scored a combined four goals in the second frame to force overtime on a drizzly Sunday afternoon in Athens.

Arlitt scored the breakthrough in the 57^th minute of play following an attack by Maffei down the left flank. After beating a Georgia defender to the end line, Maffei cut back to the six-yard box and found Arlitt patrolling the middle of the area for an open strike from eight yards. Arlitt’s finish gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead at the 56:41 mark.

The Bulldogs turned up the heat on the Tiger defense after conceding the breakthrough to Arlitt as they earned five corner kicks in a 10-minute span while pressuring the LSU back line.

LSU’s junior goalkeeper Megan Kinneman turned in the defensive play of the game in the 67^th minute on a corner kick by junior striker Carli Shultis as he service was flicked on frame by Bulldog midfielder Tori Cooper, forcing Kinneman to make a diving save full extension to her right to punch the ball out of play. Cooper then fired a strike on goal on the ensuing corner kick by Shultis that was again saved by Kinneman to preserve the 1-0 lead with two of her career-high 15 saves on the afternoon.

Kinneman has now set her career-high three times this season as she also made 10 saves in a 2-1 win over Memphis on Sept. 10 and 11 saves in a 1-1 draw with Alabama on Sept. 16.

But the Tigers were unable to withstand the Bulldog barrage late in regulation when junior midfielder Nicole Locandro netted her first and second goals of the season within two minutes apart to give the home side the 2-1 lead with just under 10 minutes to play.

Locandro opened her account in the 78^th minute when she ran onto a centering pass by Shultis and buried a 10-yard strike to draw the Bulldogs level at the 78:12 mark. After the Tigers were whistled for a handball in the box just over two minutes later, Locandro stepped up to the spot and slotted the ball past Kinneman inside the left post to give Georgia a 2-1 lead at the 80:37 mark.

Despite surrendering back-to-back goals to the Bulldogs, the Tigers responded with a tying goal of their own through Maffei in the 84^th minute of play.

After fellow freshman Victoria Sample fired a 20-yard strike off the crossbar from just beyond the area, Maffei found herself in position to clean up the rebound as she netted her second goal of the year to tie the score at 2-2 at the 83:57 mark and finish as the Tigers’ top scorer with three points on the afternoon.

The match would end in a draw as neither team was able to break the deadlock in overtime.

“Our fight back to get the equalizer after going down 2-1 was impressive and showed a lot of character in our team,” Lee said. “Megan (Kinneman) was outstanding again to keep us in it. She continues to lead us defensively with her play game-to-game. She’s a true leader of this team and shows that with her actions on and off the field.”

The Tigers will return home next weekend to play host to the 19^th-ranked Florida Gators on Friday, Oct. 5, and the Vanderbilt Commodores on Sunday, Oct. 7, at the LSU Soccer Stadium in Baton Rouge. Both matches are set for live television broadcasts on Fox Sports Net’s SportSouth with kickoff scheduled for at 6:30 p.m. CT and 1 p.m., respectively.

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