MERIDIAN – A goal from Meridian's Brittney Gray in the 82nd minute forced Northwest into overtime where the Lady Eagles defeated the Lady Rangers 2-1 on a muggy Tuesday afternoon.
Northwest dropped to 2-2 on the season with the loss while Meridian improved to 2-2.
Cheyenne Smith got the Lady Rangers on the board first with a breakaway effort in the 29th minute, netting her team-leading fourth goal of the season.
Four minutes later, the game was halted for roughly 45 minutes for a lightning delay as thunderstorms skirted the Meridian area.
When play resumed, neither team was able to find the net for most of the remaining regulation time, until Gray's goal in the 82nd minute tied the match at 1-1.
As the first overtime period began to tick away, Meridian picked up the golden goal thanks to Clair Campbell's assist to Hanna Caldwell in the 98th minute, denying Northwest the split on its first road swing.
Meridian outshot the Lady Rangers 26-14 on the afternoon and 19-8 on goal, despite a 9-6 margin for Northwest in the second period.
Sophomore
Angel Hailey tallied 14 saves in 90 minutes of action, while
Makenzie Ellis got three stops in overtime.
Northwest will get a much-needed week long break before opening MACJC North Division competition against East Central on Wednesday, Sept. 5. First kick is slated for 1 p.m. in Senatobia.
