The latest chapter in the rivalry between the Sunny Hills and Troy ended in a 1-1 draw after two tightly contested halves and overtime periods.

Sunny Hills scored the first goal of the game when a early first half corner kick was met by Freshman defender Jocelyn Pineda.

Pineda, in a crowded penalty box, received the ball with her thigh and sent it past Troy’s goalkeeper Sara Valencia on the same touch.

After the early goal the Warriors saw more of the ball than before, but other than a few crosses caught by Lady Lancers goalkeeper Monica Balos could not get past Sunny Hill’s backline.

At many instances in the first half Troy attempted to stretch the field and Lady Lancers defensive set up by playing wide.

The tactic resulted in more turnovers than goalscoring opportunities for the Lady Warriors (10-3-4, 2-0-1) partly due to consistent pressure by Sunny Hills near midfield which forced passes that often ended up out of bounds.

The Lady Lancers (14-2-3, 2-01) did not completely dedicated themselves to defense.

Through play down the sides of Troy’s half they earned several corner kicks in the first half.

The kicks from the corner, which were on most occasions headed over the Lady Warriors goal by Sunny Hills players, did not come close to bearing the same result at their first.

Troy earned a few set pieces from the corner of their own and had their best chance of the first half when a corner kick near the Lady Lancers goal forced defender Carlie Delatorre to make a heading clearance.

The Lady Warriors came out of halftime a more goal threatening side and tested Balos more frequently than in the first half.

Early in the second half Balos retrieved a cross by Troy forward Aaliyah Tu’ua right in time to prevent a very close goalscoring opportunity for forward Brianna Diaz, who was rapidly approaching the cross.

Though the Lady Warriors came out with improved offensive play it was a counterattack which led to the equalizer.

A corner kick clearance by the Lady Warriors and subsequent quick build up play led to midfielder Kristen Chong receiving the ball in Lady Lancer territory with a few defenders to beat.

Chong, who started her run near midfield, withstood more than one defensive challenge by oncoming Sunny Hills players and powerfully dribbled her way past them to be clear on goal.

The midfielder’s strike from inside the final third was kick saved by a well positioned Balos, but the rebound was quickly slotted into the net by an attentive and unmarked Tu’ua.

Sunny Hills, seemingly determined to retake the lead, increased their offensive tempo and kept more possession after the equalizer.

As the second half went on long throws and crosses into the Lady Warriors penalty box were frequently utilized by the Lady Lancers.

The Warriors matched the offensive Lancers tempo defensively by clearing most of the Lancers long throw ins, crosses, and corner kicks.

In addition the Lady Lancers were seldom able to get a clear shot on goal throughout the half.

Near the end of regulation time, Troy had most clear opportunity to break the stalemate between the rivals.

A low strike by Troy midfielder Kendal Carter from inside the Lancers penalty box forced Balos into a diving save to keep the teams even.

The first half of overtime mirrored a large portion of the second half.

Although Sunny Hills controlled possession well,Troy was able to deny them clear chances through steady and solid defensive play.

Clear Goalscoring opportunities were not a constant in the game, but fouls were.

In what was a physical match with 24 fouls committed in total, Tu’ua received a yellow card of the for a late challenge on a defender.

Lady Lancers forward Sierra Chhoeung received one in the second half for pushing an opponent in the back.

Both teams sought the go ahead goal as the game drew to a close, but the rivals remained even at the final whistle.

“Sunny Hills came out and got an early goal, we just had to you know stay focused and stay composed.” said Troy Head Coach Michael Silzer about equalizing the game, and added that even though the team has many young players he feels like they have “good attacking ability.”

“We have a lot of respect for Troy, we knew this was going to be a really hard game, That we were gonna have to defend for eighty plus minutes and find a way to get a goal, and we did that. I think the score was a just result,” said Sunny Hills Head Coach Jeff Gordon, who also commended Balos performance.

The Lady Lancers take on Fullerton at home on Thursday. The Lady Warriors will host Buena Park Tuesday.