MOBILE, Alabama (10/10/08) - Entering this weekend, only two teams out of the Sun Belt Conference had yet to play for a tie; make that zero now. Thanks in part to Kelsey Perlman’s team-leading 7^th and 8^th goals of the season, the Mean Green and South Alabama Jaguars ended an instant classic tied 3-3 in double overtime Friday evening at The Cage.

The game marked the first double overtime tie for the Mean Green since the 2006 season when North Texas and Grambling State played to a 1-1 tie.

On this particular evening North Texas had to rally from a quick 2-0 deficit just to manage a tie. South Alabama (4-8-1, 2-2-1) jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Sam Slover’s first goal of the season, which came off a corner kick.

Only six minutes later the Jaguars’ Brandi Smith scored her 10^th goal of the season on an assists from Kelly Tarrant. On the play Smith dribbled past a couple of defenders and pulled goalie Mandy Hall out of the net for a chip shot.

For a North Texas (9-2-1, 3-1-1) offense that has struggled in spurts this season, they sure didn’t show it the rest of the first half. Perlman cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 22^nd minute on a long shot from 30 yards out to beat Kelsie Langford. Gennifer Hurst then scored her second goal of the season on a header after an assist from Brittany Cleveland.

Perlman would make it three consecutive unanswered goals in the 34^th minute when she was able to get Langford out of the net and sent a lob over her head for her 8^th goal of the season, giving North Texas a 3-2 lead heading into the half.

South Alabama was able to score the game-tying goal in the 75^th minute when Landi Wilson scored off a deflection for her first goal of the season. Hall had stopped the initial corner kick but the deflection went right to Wilson, who then delivered the clutch goal.

North Texas continued to have great opportunities to take the lead and even win the game in overtime but Langford came up big for the Jags, totaling 13 saves at night’s end.

The Mean Green will now play their final road game of the season Sunday afternoon at Troy beginning at 1 p.m.