OMAHA, Neb. – The University of North Dakota soccer team battled the chilly elements and played to a 1-1 draw against Omaha on Thursday evening at Caniglia Field in Omaha.
 
UND (8-3-2, 2-1-1 Summit League) now sits with seven points in league play this season which moves the Fighting Hawks into sole possession of fourth place in the standings. With South Dakota and Oral Roberts right behind UND with six points, the green and white are looking to continue to earn points as the top four in the table advance to the postseason tournament during the first weekend of November.
 
In the first conference meeting between the teams since 2007, Omaha (4-9-2, 1-2-1 Summit League) equalized on a tally in the 81st minute to force the game into overtime where both teams had great looks at winning the contest, but the backlines held strong over the 110 minutes.
 
Olivia Knox scored her third goal of the season for UND to reach double digit points (11) on the year. The freshman becomes the third player this season to cross the 10-point plateau for the Hawks this season.
 
Senior goalkeeper Olivia Swenson was busy in the cage on Thursday, facing a total of 26 shot attempts. The Chaska, Minn., native made nine saves on ten shots on goal in the draw. The goal surrendered is the first away from Grand Forks this season in seven total contests.
 
It was North Dakota who took control of the pace and momentum in the early going, putting pressure on the Omaha backline before finally breaking through in the eighth minute. Karleen Yapello played a ball up to Knox where the freshman fired a shot from distance that trickled through the legs of the keeper and just over the line to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead.
 
The goal is the 10th time this season that UND has struck first in a contest, entering with an 8-1-0 record when opening the scoring.
 
Omaha looked to answer as the first half wore on, testing Swenson with a couple of chances from the top of the box in the 15th and 16th minutes but the senior goalkeeper was there for the save.
 
Following a Megan Wright look on goal from the far right wing, the Mavs nearly tied the game as back-to-back shots hit the crossbar and stayed out to retain the 1-0 advantage for UND through 30 minutes.
 
Both teams had one final good chance on target over the final 15 minutes, but the first half came to an end with the visitors in front, 1-0.
The pace started much slower to begin the second half, but Omaha had a pair of chances in the 68th minute but Swenson made back-to-back saves on strikes from the top of the box.
 
Katie Moller nearly doubled the advantage for the Hawks when the senior found herself free just inside the scoring area and directed a header on goal, but was denied by the keeper in the 74th minute.
 
Omaha finally brought the game level in the 81st minute when a Kiana Dualan sent a cross in for Emily Romero and her header found the top corner to even the score at 1-1.
 
After another pair of stops from Swenson, Knox nearly won the game in the final moments of regulation when her header just missed wide of the cage as the teams closed the 90 minutes deadlocked at one.
 
Playing in the sudden-death overtime for the second time this season and first since August, UND came out a bit on its heels in the first 10-minute session. The Mavs had a trio of shots blocked in the opening three minutes before Dualan struck the crossbar in the 97th minute. UND survived the push from the hosts and advanced into double overtime.
 
The Hawks came out with a strong attack mentality in the second OT session, nearly winning the match in the opening seconds. Moller again found herself unmarked just inside the box, but blistered the shot just over the crossbar. The senior followed up with another shot on target, but was again turned away by the keeper.
 
Neither team could breakthrough over the final minutes as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
 
North Dakota returns to action with another road showdown against a Denver squad who is tied atop the league standings with 12 points. The Hawks and Pioneers will square off on Sunday at 1 p.m. from the Mile High City.