MARQUETTE – Northern Michigan University extended their efforts into overtime but were still unable to come up with its first victory of the season when the Wildcats lost to Ashland 2-1 in a women’s soccer game played at the NMU Soccer Field on Sunday afternoon.

In its GLIAC opener and fifth game overall this season, NMU fell behind 1-0 when the Eagles scored in the sixth minute on a close-in free kick as Kelsey McKernan’s boot sailed over Alexandra Simmons’ head and into the net.

But the Wildcats responded just two minutes later to knot the score at 1-1 when Abby Cook took Carmen Villarruel’s corner kick in traffic out front of the net and past goalie Courtney Barker of Ashland, which improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the GLIAC.

Nothing more was scored until 84 minutes more on the game clock elapsed, even though the teams combined for 35 shots. Simmons made nine saves and Barker seven.

One of Simmons’ saves came in the 56th minute, when Ashland’s Deljah Swihart and Morgan Bittengle walked in on a 2-on-1. Simmons made the initial save on Swihart’s shot, a Wildcat defender blocked Bittengle’s follow-up and Simmons sprawled out for another save of a Swihart shot.

In addition, Swihart took advantage of her team’s pressure out front for a look at a wide-open net in the 81st minute, but NMU’s Natalie Yeck got back in time to block the shot.

But Swihart eventually got the game winner just over a minute into OT, taking a pass fro Bittengle and threading the ball inside the right post to end the game.

Next up for Northern is a trip to Columbus, Ohio, to face Ohio Dominican for a game at 7 p.m. Friday.