<p><strong>BALTIMORE &ndash; </strong>The UMBC women&rsquo;s soccer team picked up a tie in a scoreless double-overtime affair against Lafayette on Friday night at the Retriever Soccer Park. The contest, which lasted three hours and 22 minutes, marked the first game for UMBC under first-year head coach Leslie Wray.</p> <p>&ldquo;We stepped up and played a hard game against a good team,&rdquo; Wray said of the Retrievers&rsquo; effort. &ldquo;The first half we started a little bit flat, but then the heart and the pride came out and we fought hard.&rdquo; &nbsp;</p> <p>The Leopards (0-0-1) notched three of the first four shots of the contest, including a blast from forward Laura Zito that nailed the crossbar and bounced back to Retriever senior back Aly Gazarek (Aldie, Va./Freedom/South Florida), who cleared the threat to keep the game scoreless with 19:50 remaining in the first half.</p> <p>UMBC (0-0-1) responded with an opportunity of its own 1:22 later, but was unable to capitalize, as 5-9 freshman Bria Bass (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) out jumped a Lafayette defender to put a head on the ball, sailing a shot just wide of the right post. Bass saw another chance shortly after, drilling a shot from the edge of the 18-yard box, but Leopards&rsquo; defender Nicole Brownell stepped in front for the deflection.</p> <p>Following a one hour and seven minute weather delay prior to the start of the second half, the contest turned into a seesaw battle, with neither team able to capitalize on its scoring chances.&nbsp;</p> <p>&ldquo;The second half was back and forth,&rdquo; said Wray. &ldquo;They put some pressure on us and then we came around and put some pressure on them, we had some good chances.&rdquo;</p> <p>UMBC continued to put the pressure on the Leopards in the overtime periods. Senior forward Rachel McKee (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron) gathered a loose ball in the first overtime and looked to slot the ball inside the far post, but missed just inches wide.</p> <p>Junior forward Jessy Brown (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage) also had her chance to break the tie, diving to get a head on the ball just in front of the net during the second overtime, but Smedley picked up one of her seven stops on the night.&nbsp;</p> <p>The teams played evenly throughout the contest, with UMBC holding a 6-5 corner kick advantage and Lafayette outshooting the Retrievers 14-12.</p> <p>Bass and McKee each tallied a team-best three shots.</p> <p>UMBC goalkeeper Lauren Kadet (Oakville, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas) finished the night with six saves.</p> <p>The Retrievers return to action on Sunday, Aug. 19 when they travel to the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.</p>