JACKSON, Miss. - The Jackson State soccer team took on North Alabama on Sunday afternoon and took the Lions down to the final second of overtime, literally.

Both teams remained scoreless through the entire 90 minute period of the match before needing overtime in order to decide the final outcome. 

For 99 minutes and 59 seconds in a 100 minute game, the two teams remained tied. That was until a ball squeezed into the back of the net from Shelby Wall with one second until the 10 minute overtime period struck zero. 

"The loss is a bitter, bitter pill to swallow. I mean to concede a goal with literally one second left on the clock in overtime, is the worst of the worst. Plus it was a goal we should have dealt with easily, but that's futbol and The game can be very cruel." Said coach Dr. Ted Flogaites of the goal at the end of overtime.

The Tigers took on a non-conference team that had taken on and competed well with the likes of Ole Miss and other major college soccer programs, and did so with ten players on the field for the majority of the game. 

"For us to play a man down for as long as we did, which seemed like forever, I thought we were heroic and brilliant and our commitment to the match was immense."

The Tigers have improved drastically over the last four games of the season. The team's schedule of non-conference opponents has not changed in terms of the level of difficultly but the outcome on the scoreboard is very telling of a program that looks poised for a big turn around heading into SWAC play.

"I feel we deserved something from the match because from an energy and organization standpoint we were tough to breakdown with only ten players. It was a huge performance from the players and a draw or a win would have been a lift for us and a just reward for all of the improvement we have been showing in the last four matches and on the pitch."

Midway through the match, the Tigers lost one of their own in Brittney Williams, after Williams got tangled up with an opposing player in a drive to the goal. While the Tigers would have loved to have gotten a score, the health and concern over their teammate is all that matters to the team. 

"While chasing the result was important we are far more concerned as to whether Brittney Williams is ok, as I hope we haven't lost her for the season as a result of that challenge in the box."

A team that allowed an average of 6.5 goals per match through the first four games is now allowing just 1.5 goals per game through the past four games, a difference of five additional goals per game.

The Tigers continue to get better and as progress shows, it is only a matter of time before the improved results pay off on the scoreboard.

"This performance is the level of performance we have to replicate match after match. And there are signs indicating that we might be able to do that, we lost this fixture last season 7-1, so a 1-0 loss in overtime on an iffy goal at best is a monster improvement."

The Blue and White get a new opportunity this Friday with the beginning of SWAC play to take all the lessons and failures they have persevered through in non-conference play and translate that into something special in conference play. 

The Tigers take on Howard University on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Birmingham, Ala.

SOCIAL MEDIA

For more soccer information and updates please follow the Tigers on Twitter at @GoJSUTigersSOC, Facebook at Jackson State Soccer, @gojsutigerssoc on Instagram. You can also follow head coach Ted Flogaites on Twitter @flogaites