RUSTON, La. | Grambling State mounted a second-half comeback attempt Thursday night but could not overcome an early deficit, falling 4-2 to Northwestern State at the Ruston Sports Complex.
The Tigers (1-7-1) trailed 2-0 at halftime before cutting the deficit in half early in the second period. Northwestern State (3-5) added two goals later in the half, however, to regain control before Grambling State scored in the final minute.
Northwestern State opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Tiana Cruz found the back of the net off an assist from Kendall Hemperley.
The Demons extended their advantage in the 22nd minute as Alexia Adimmah scored following a pass from Paige Baumgartner, giving Northwestern State a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.
Grambling State came out aggressively after the break and cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 56th minute. Nyla Dore-Anderson converted a penalty kick for the Tigers after a foul inside the box.
The Tigers continued to battle and generated several opportunities in the second half, finishing the match with 13 shots, including seven on goal. Grambling State goalkeeper Alina Arneth made five saves.
Northwestern State responded with two goals in a three-minute span late in the match. Gabriela Page scored in the 80th minute off an assist from Sophia Minnillo before Riley Stern added another goal in the 83rd minute to put the Demons ahead 4-1.
Grambling State continued to fight until the final whistle and pulled another goal back in the 90th minute. Sidney Johnson scored off assists from Dylan Carter and Anaiya Morris, trimming the Northwestern State advantage to 4-2.
The Tigers finished with four corner kicks, including three in the second half, while Northwestern State also recorded four corner kicks. Grambling State held the Demons to 10 second-half shots after Northwestern State recorded 11 in the opening 45 minutes.
Johnson and Dore-Anderson each scored for Grambling State, while Carter and Morris contributed assists on Johnson's late goal.
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