The Sacramento State women’s soccer team settled for a tie against conference rivals Idaho State today, but the Hornets remain unbeaten at home this season. The Hornets are 7-0-1 on their home turf and have not lost at Hornet Field since Sept. 29 of last year against Boise State.

The Hornets got on the board in the 36th minute off of an error by Bengals goalkeeper Maren Eves. Eves was given the ball by a Bengal defender and kicked it softly to her left, failing to notice Hornet sophomore Kim Kemper, who was all alone on that side. Kemper floated a shot over Eves and into the left side of the net to give Sac State the lead.

“She had one mistake that cost us,” said Bengals coach Allison Gibson.

Idaho State wasted little time in equaling the score as sophomore Jana Boehler netted her sixth goal of the year less than three minutes later. Boehler fired the goal unassisted from ten yards out.

“To respond like that was huge,” Gibson said.

The teams would go into the half tied at one. The Bengals outshot the Hornets 6-5 in the first half, although Sac State did hold a 3-2 advantage in corner kicks.

Both teams came out firing in the second half, combining for 25 shots after halftime. The offenses kept both goalkeepers busy, with Eves recording four second-period saves to Hornet sophomore Mandy Trojan’s six.

“They’re one of the more athletic teams we’ve come across,” said Hornets coach Randy Dedini. “We had to worry about their attack.”

Despite the abundance of shots, neither team was able to pull ahead in regulation and the game went into sudden death overtime. The Hornets are no strangers to overtime, with today’s match marking the fourth overtime contest in five games.

The teams battled to another standstill after the first overtime, and the game stayed close in the second extra period. Idaho State outshot the Hornets 6-1 over the two overtimes, but the game ended in a 1-1 tie.

“That’s the way these conference games go,” Dedini said. “They’re always hard fought, always close.”

The tie ended Sac State’s seven-game win streak, which dated back to the home opener against Mount St. Mary’s.

“We’re a little bit disappointed,” Trojan said. “But we know we put all of our heart into the game.”

The Hornets are now 7-3-3 overall on the year and 1-0-1 in conference play.

Idaho State’s record stands at 5-4-4 and the team remains winless in conference play after losing to Portland State on Friday.

Today’s game was the first meeting of the two teams since Idaho State beat the Hornets on penalty kicks in the Big Sky Conference Championship game last year.

“We wanted revenge on them like you couldn’t imagine,” said junior Sarah Howard.

The Hornets will now hit the road for their last three away games of the year. They will visit Montana next Friday at 4 p.m. The Grizzlies entered the day at 3-8-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play. The Hornets defeated Montana on penalty kicks in their last meeting in the first round of last year’s Big Sky Conference tournament.

The Hornets will then face Eastern Washington on Oct. 21 and wrap up their final road trip at Northern Colorado on Oct. 26.

“Every conference game is huge and important,” Dedini said. “If we can come in prepared for every game, then the rest should take care of itself.”

Contact Fernando Gallo at [email protected]