CHARLESTON, S.C. - Redshirt freshman Elis Nemtsov headed home a free kick from fifth year Maddie Klintworth in the 63rd minute and freshman Michaela English made 10 saves in her collegiate debut to help Georgia Southern women's soccer earn a 1-1 draw at the College of Charleston on Thursday evening at Ralph Lundy Field.

Lightning delayed the start of the match for an hour and a half, and when play began, the College of Charleston (0-0-1) had the run of play in the first half, outshooting the Eagles (0-0-1) by a 10-1 margin. The Cougars opened the match's scoring in the 43rd minute as Natalie Sgro poked home a shot past a diving English for the 1-0 advantage and the lead.

In the second half, the Eagles equalized in the 63rd minute as Faith Phillips drew a free kick on the right side. Klintworth sent the service to the far post, where Nemtsov headed it past Meredith Holton for her first collegiate goal.

English, meanwhile, kept it a level match with four second-half saves as the two teams could not find a match winner in regulation.

In the first overtime period, both Phillips and senior Taylor Regensburger had attempts to win it for the Eagles, while English made two big saves in the frame. The second overtime period produced just one lone Cougar shot.

The College of Charleston finished the match with a 26-6 edge in shots, including an 11-3 edge in shots on goal. Holton made three saves in net for the Cougars, compared to English's 10. The College of Charleston was whistled for eight fouls and three offsides while enjoying 11 corner kicks. Georgia Southern committed five fouls, three offsides and had two corner kicks on the night.

"I think it was little bit of nerves, honestly, when you're playing a game that's tight,"  Georgia Southern Head Women's Soccer Coach Chris Adams said about the slow start to the match. "I'm glad to play an opponent good enough to make you pay for your mistakes. And we made a big mistake right before the half that hamstrung us a little bit.

"But at halftime, we regrouped," Coach Adams said. "It really speaks to their character, that we can change and flip the performance like that. It shows that we control how we play and how we perform. Our goal came against the run of play. Just staying sound and in the game gives us that capability to nick a goal at a time where they were putting us under a lot of pressure. For the last 65 minutes, we saw more team defending, a bit more organization and a lot better performance from some individuals for the second half and overtime."

The Eagles are next in action on Sunday, traveling to Davison, N.C., to take on Davidson in a 1 p.m. non-conference matchup.