GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Visiting UNCP got eight saves from goalkeeper Britney Bennett and used a stout defense to offset a 19-11 shot disparity as the Lady Braves fought tooth and nail to a 0-0 double overtime tie with Tusculum on Wednesday afternoon at Pioneer Field.

The draw helped snap a two-game series losing streak for UNCP (3-0-1), while Tusculum (4-1-1) was held scoreless in a contest for the first time this season. It was the first time that the Pioneers have been shut out in the regular season since a 1-0 loss to Anderson on Oct. 15, 2011. 

Rae-Shawna Campbell, Amalia Arvidsson and Sherrie Gessin each managed a team-best three shots for the Lady Braves, while Tramicka James fired off a dozen strikes to pace the hosts. Bennett's clean sheet marked her 19th career shutout. Tusculum goalkeeper Marissa Williams tallied four saves en route to her third shutout of the campaign.

"The match turned out to be a real tale of two halves. In my opinion, we had the better of play in the first half, but ended up dodging bullets for the better part of the second half," said UNCP head coach Lars Andersson. "Both teams had multiple opportunities throughout the match to put the game away, but players on both sides showed real courage and commitment and, in the end, a nil-nil draw seemed like a fair result. Coach (Mike) Joy and this Tusculum team will be a factor come NCAA Tournament time and we have to be pleased with a draw on the road against a quality region opponent this early in the season."

UNCP recorded the first five shots of the game before Tusculum finally got off the mark in the 28th minute on a shot by Taylor Lewis that was easily snared by Bennett. The momentum, again, swung to the side of the visitors over the next seven minutes as the Lady Braves added two more shots to their tally, but UNCP again called on Bennett to stop back-to-back shots by Tusculum to preserve the 0-0 tie heading into halftime.

The Pioneers grabbed five of the first six shots in the second half, but Bennett was up to the task on each occasion. The Lady Braves dodged a bullet in the 70th minute, however, as James' give-and-go strike caught the woodwork to keep both goose eggs on the board. Bennett easily turned back a shot from Jana Linke with six minutes left in the second overtime on the last real scoring chance for either team.

The Lady Braves will be back in action again on Saturday when they step back into Peach Belt Conference play to host Montevallo (3-1-1, 0-0 PBC) in the front half of a women's and men's doubleheader at Varsity Grounds. Kickoff has been slated for 1 p.m. Admission to all 2012 UNCP soccer home games is free.