ALFRED -- The Juniata Eagles scored with two seconds left in regulations to tie the SUNY Potsdam women’s soccer team 3-3 in the second round of the Alfred Tournament.

Junior forward Heather Johnson (Heuvelton, N.Y./Heuvelton), sophomore forward Ashley Thayer (Winthrop, N.Y./St. Lawrence Central), and senior midfielder Dedra Palmer (Whitesboro, N.Y./Whitesboro) each scored for the Bears.

Potsdam fell behind just 5:20 into the contest as Casandra Torres finished a nice Eagle passing play. However, the Bears played catch up well this afternoon. Thayer set up Johnson at the 34:16 mark to even the score.

Five minutes later Katie Tallman put Juniata out in front for the last time. The advantage lasted only another five minutes as Johnson set up Palmer with just 43 seconds left in the half.

The Bears struggled to create chances in the second 45 minutes. Despite only taking two shots in the entire second half, Thayer connected at 49:25 on an assist from senior midfielder Taylor Jordan (Canton, N.Y./Hugh C. Williams) to give Potsdam a 3-2 advantage. Neither team thrived offensively for the rest of regulation, but Nikki Hankinson salvaged a tie with two seconds left.

Both teams went without a shot on goal in the two overtime periods. Bears Head Coach Mark Misiak was expecting a stronger finish to a good weekend, but was satisfied with his team’s effort in overtime.

“Having it end the way it did is disappointing to say the least,” said Misiak. “But the way we played to day, we didn’t deserve to win. That being said, I was proud of the how the girls played with character in the extra time period. It’s tough to comeback after giving up a goal so late, but they battled hard and got a decent result out of the weekend.”

Freshman goalkeeper Erika Hoad (Watkins Glen, N.Y./Watkins Glen) made the start for the Bears and stopped two shots. Juniata goalie Gabriella Ricciardi finished with three saves.

Johnson and senior defender Maggie Malinowski (Livonia, N.Y./Livonia) were named to the All-Tournament Team.

The Bears (2-0-1) are back in action on Tuesday, Sept. 6, when they travel to Cazenovia to take on the Golden Eagles at 4 p.m.