CLEVELAND - The Delta State University women's soccer team jumped out of the gate early Wednesday 2-0 on the visiting Lions of North Alabama, but second half miscues and an unlucky bounce in overtime gave UNA the 3-2 victory.  Delta State fell to 10-7-2 overall and 4-4 in the GSC, while North Alabama improved to 8-10-1 and 3-4-1 in league play.

Needing one win to clinch a berth in the upcoming Gulf South Conference Tournament, the Lady Statesmen fought off a tough UNA defense in the first period of play.  31:58 into the first half, DSU's Ashley Cechovsky found the back of the net to give the Lady Statesmen the early 1-0 advantage.  Cechovsky's goal came after Angela Davidson's free kick was deflected by UNA keeper Alex McLay.  

Laura Swanson made it 2-0 Delta State at the 42:52 mark after McLay once again deflected a shot by Erin Smith.  The rebound set the senior from Oshkosh, Wisc, up perfectly and Swanson delivered the ball into the net.  

After the half, UNA and DSU seemed poised to play a back-and-forth half, until the Lions stole momentum away from the Lady Statesmen with a penalty kick.  58 minutes into regulation, a penalty kick was awarded to UNA after a foul occured in the box.  UNA's Hollie Loud kicked the ball past DSU keeper Sarah Prevost to cut the lead to 2-1.  

In the 80th minute, UNA's Jamie Takala took a shot from the left side and blasted the ball past Prevost to tie it up at 2-2 with a little under 10 minutes remaining in the game.  

The final minutes ticked away slowly with both teams knotted at 2-2 after regulation.  

In overtime, North Alabama kept the pressure on the Delta State end of the field.  After an errant pass across the field was stolen by UNA's Takala, the freshman from Naples, Fla., sent the game-winning goal to the back of the net along the right post.  

UNA's McLay earned the win in goal to improve to 8-10-1 on the year, while Prevost was saddled with the loss.  The redshirt freshman slipped to 10-7-2 on the season.  

Delta State's postseason chances are still viable, but Wednesday's loss put quite a dent in coach Jim Allen's squads chances.  The Lady Statesmen need some combination of the following:
1. Christian Brothers loss or tie over the next two games with Alabama-Hunstville or West Georgia.
2. West Georgia loss or tie at Christian Brothers on Saturday.

In the event of a two-way tie between Delta State and Christian Brothers, the Lady Statesmen own the tie-breaker thanks to 1-0 win over the Lady Buccaneers on Oct. 1.  

The Gulf South Conference Tournament is slated to run Nov. 7-9 at Brosnaham Park in Pensacola, Fla.  Game times and opponents will be available on Sunday at the GSC website at www.GulfSouthConference.org.