NAMPA, Idaho – Home field continued to be good to the Crusaders, but things could have gone just a little bit better.

Literally seconds away from a win, the Northwest Nazarene women's soccer team instead settled for a 1-1 tie with visiting Montana State Billings in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action Thursday on the NNU campus.

"I'm proud of the way our girls fought today, we just have to learn in the last minutes of the game how to keep the ball," NNU coach Mary Trigg said.

"It was disappointing with 17 seconds left we didn't get the win, but I'm proud mentally in overtime they didn't quit and they kept fighting," NNU's coach added.

After a scoreless first half, the Crusaders (1-7-2 overall, 0-5-2 GNAC) netted the first goal of the game with 16:10 left on the clock as Lauren Kuklenski sent a ball upfield to Rachel Ball. Ball chipped a pass into the goal box, where Yellowjackets goalkeeper Krystal Daniels missed the ball and Kelsey Martin took advantage.

The Crusader freshman finished off the easy chance, booting the ball into the empty net for her second goal of the season.

It looked like that would be the decisive goal as time ticked away, but using a last-second charge, the Yellowjackets (3-4-2, 2-4-1) just snuck the game-tying goal across the goal-line.

Alisa Sagdahl set the play up with a long pass up the right sideline that Amanda Perri crossed into the box.

MSU Billings' Heidi Greenback took a shot that bounced off NNU's defense and crept just across the goal-line before the Crusaders cleared the ball away.

The assistant referee signaled a goal, tying the score at 1-1 with 17 seconds left on the clock.

Neither team managed to break the tie in two, 10-minute overtime sessions, and NNU improved to 1-1-2 at home. NNU is back at home Saturday when it hosts Western Oregon at noon.

"We were a much different team then we were two weeks ago," Trigg added of the Crusaders, who outshot MSU Billings 14-13 and control much of the game. "I'm excited the direction were going, but again, disappointed. We've got to learn how to close a game out."