Junior forward Lindsay Vera streaked up the sideline, dribbling the ball as she went. She dodged an Old Dominion defender, flipped the ball over another’s foot and closed in on the goal. She tripped over an opponent’s foot, but as she went down, she sent a perfect pass to the center of the box, just out of the goalkeeper’s reach.

However, no one was there to take the shot.

These are the plays N.C. State coach, Laura Kerrigan said drive her crazy.

“There were so many other opportunities where we put the ball into the box where we didn’t have the player that we needed in the right place at the right time, and as a result, we didn’t score,” Kerrigan said.

Old Dominion started the scoring at 21:03 of the first half with a free kick that deflected off an N.C. State defender’s head and dribbled into the goal.

“That was harsh,” goalkeeper Sydney Little, a sophomore in environmental technology, said. “It’s just part of the game; it’s how you respond to it [that matters].”

A little more than a minute later, freshman defender Nadia Aboulhosn tied the game up with an unassisted tally that followed a scramble in front of the goal.

“Nadia had a terrific game,” forward Chantalle Dugas, a sophomore in sociology, said. “She came in focused, and she just didn’t give up. That was an awesome goal, and she just hustled the entire game.”

Kerrigan said the goal was a result of being in the right place at the right time and executing an opportunity.

“Nadia scored a great goal for us because she did exactly what I talked about doing,” Kerrigan said.

The team had several moments of panic in overtime as three shots bounced off the goalpost and came within inches of giving Old Dominion the win.

“They say that the goal is part of your equipment and so having it go off the post is considered a save, so yeah — it was nerve-wracking,” Little said. “We call it the ‘crap’ save in soccer, where you’re off your line and you’re like, ‘Oh crap,’ I’ve got to get back!”

Little said the team looked good in front of her and that “everything’s really starting to come together.”

“Obviously, we’re a very young team, so we have a lot of little nicks and knacks we need to start working out,’ Little said. “But we’re getting there. We’re practicing really hard. We just have to find a way to put it away up top.’

Kerrigan said the team will have to work on its “tactical awareness’ for Sunday’s match against Maryland-Baltimore County.

“To us, a tie is a loss. If it’s not a win, then we’re not satisfied, and we’re certainly not satisfied with the result of this game. I really think that this was a game that we felt like we should have won.”