LAS CRUCES, N.M. – A pair of goals by Holly Abdelkader in the second half resulted in a 2-2 tie for the NM State women's soccer team against Utah Valley on Sunday at the Soccer Athletic Complex.
 
Early on in the game, both teams exchanged shots in the box, including one by Gabby Campbell that UVU's Brooklyn Nielsen was barely able to save. Then wiith about eight minutes remaining in the first half, the Wolverines (7-6-2, 2-1-1 WAC) picked up the tempo and kept attacking the Aggie backline until Breanna McCarter was able to slip one past Raeann Garcia in the 39th minute.
 
The score remained the same the rest of the half as NM State went into the break trailing UVU 1-0 after being outshot 10-2.
 
A minute and 55 seconds into the second half, Adrene Harding tacked on another goal for the Wolverines when Breanna McCarter sent the pass into the middle of the box for Harding as she put it past Garcia.
 
Several minutes passed with neither team really making any headway until the 63rd minute when the action picked up. McCarter sent a screamer towards Garcia at the 62:31 mark, but the freshman keeper was there to make the grab and keep UVU at bay. Minutes later, a ball sent from the midfield towards the Utah Valley box saw Audriana Chavez connect with Holly Abdelkader – who then laced the ball into the back of the net to cut the UVU lead to 2-1.
 
Two minutes later at the 67:41 mark, Abdelkader crushed a ball top shelf to the tie the match – this time on a pass from Kelly Burton. UVU answered right back with a corner kick on the other end, but Melanie Ostler's shot was just wide of the goal.
 
Things got physical from that point on as UVU picked up its second caution of the match in the 82nd minute. At the 85:28 mark, Campbell had great look on goal from the left side but the ball just didn't have enough bend on it and sailed past the opposite post to send the match into overtime.
 
New Mexico State had a scare three minutes into the overtime period but luckily for the Aggies; McCarter's shot went right of the near post just a couple feet from the goal. Devin Hart shot a laser on goal at the 97:52 mark, but Nielsen barely leaped high enough to get her fingers on the ball and send it over the net.
 
Neither team was able to get it going in the second overtime period, as both teams clearing any ball within shooting distance as the clock expired with it knotted 2-2.
 
NM State now it's the road against Grand Canyon (Oct. 21) and CSU Bakersfield (Oct. 23) before returning home on Oct. 29 for its final match of the regular-season against UT Rio Grande Valley at 3 p.m. The Oct. 29 match will also serve as senior day for Daniela Barraza, Gabby Campbell and Stephanie Petre.
 
POSTGAME NOTES:  This is the 14th match in program history that has ended in a tie…the Aggies are now 1-0-2 this season in overtime and the first time they've recorded two ties during conference play since 2011…Sunday's goal was Abdelkader's first goal of the season that wasn't a result of a penalty kick and the first time she's scored multiple goals in a single match…Burton picked up her first-career assist and point on Sunday when she set Abdelkader up for the match-tying goal.