GREENWICH - A back-and-forth, thrill-a-minute girls lacrosse battle between rivals Greenwich High School and Wilton was headed toward a happy ending for the Cardinals, as Hana Bowers' goal put the host ahead with just 46 seconds remaining in the second overtime.

However, the Cardinals weren't in the mood to celebrate when the intense, 52-minute game soon ended - neither were the Warriors for that matter.

In a regular season game that resembled a classic postseason matchup, Greenwich and visiting Wilton left the field fit to be tied, as the two squads dueled to a 14-14 deadlock.

The Cardinals, who entered the important Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference game on an eight-game winning streak, managed to keep their unbeaten streak intact with the tie and are now 8-2-1 on the season. Wilton's record not surprisingly, also stands at 8-2-1.

"Hats off to Wilton, it was a great game," Greenwich coach Erica Gerber said. "When we get to the playoffs we might be in the type of situation we were in today, so this was a good experience for us."

While the Cards left the showdown feeling a bit frustrated with the outcome, the Warriors had reason to be relieved. Facing a tough defeat, Wilton tallied the equalizer when attack Kacie Johnson scored her fourth goal of the game with a mere nine seconds left in the second three-minute overtime session.

"Overall, it was a fun game to be a part of," Wilton co-head coach Cindy Wiseman said. "We reminded the girls that win, lose or draw this is the way we have to play."

Bowers, who recorded a team-high four goals with one assist, broke a 13-13 tie when she caught a crossing pass from senior midfielder Emma Kramer and sent a one-timer from the left side past Wilton goalie Katie Gunts with 46 seconds to go in overtime.

Before Bowers' heroics, the Warriors seized a 13-12 edge in the second three-minute overtime period courtesy of Amy Drummond. The speedy midfielder controlled Brooke Flanagan's pass, dodged a pair of defenders and fired a shot that found the back of the net, putting the visitors up by one with 1:23 remaining.

As was the case throughout the afternoon, when one team scored the other team responded quickly. GHS senior midfielder Kim O'Neill evened things up again, sprinting down the field with the ball before netting the tying goal with :50 left OT.

O'Neill registered two goals and one assist, Kramer had a hat trick with one assist and sophomore midfielder Taylor Stafford also had three goals for the Cardinals, who played Wilton to an 11-11 tie after regulation.

"We really played our hearts out today and we're upset that we didn't come out on top," Stafford said. "It was back and forth throughout the game and we thought we had it at the end. But they are a good team and made some key goals."

Johnson and Drummond each poured in four goals, while attack Alex Farmakis scored three times for Wilton, which headed into intermission with a 7-6 advantage.

Kramer scored Greenwich's first two goals of the game, one of which came off a free position attempt, but the visitors claimed a 4-2 advantage after Farmakis scored her first goal of the game at the 10:39 mark. Junior attack Stephanie Nielson brought GHS back, bouncing home a shot off a nice feed from Bowers with 10:04 to go in the opening half. Stafford beat the defense down field and deposited a shot inside the right post, making it a 4-4 game 1:32 later.

Stafford and Bowers tallied each tallied one more goal in the first half, while Drummond scored her second and third goals to give the Warriors a one-goal edge at halftime.

Trailing 7-6, Gerber knew her Cardinals had to raise their level of play during the second half.

"We knew that Wilton was going to come after us and we knew they were a real good team," Gerber said. "But for some reason, we came out a little bit flat. In the first half, we weren't picking up in the midfield as well as we could have and we weren't cutting back to the ball. But the second half, our players came back and played their game."

Greenwich won the opening draw of the second half and immediately scored, with Bowers charging the goal and converting a high shot 13 seconds into the half. Kramer put the Cards back on top at 8-7, bouncing her shot past Gunts off a nice spin move with 21:17 left. Wilton, however, didn't waste any time in tying the score. The Warriors controlled the ball off the draw and Farmakis cut through Greenwich's defense, pulling her team even (8-8).

Bowers continued to ignite Big Red's transition game, outrunning the defense off the ensuing draw and converting a shot from point-blank range, putting the home team back in front, 9-8 with 20:28 still remaining.

"Our fast break was definitely working today, but unfortunately, we didn't get our settled attack down," said Bowers, a junior midfielder. "We should have come out in the first half the same way we played in the second half. Today, we did a good job of defending their transition and slowing them down at times. But we know that we still have a lot to work on."

After O'Neill's fast break goal gave the Cards a 10-8 advantage with 19:41 to go, the Warriors scored three unanswered goals to claim an 11-10 lead. Flanagan broke a 10-10 tie, sending a one-timer home off a pass from Farmakis, making it an 11-10 game and prompting a GHS timeout with 7:56 to play.

Senior attack Annie Buonnanno rescued the Cardinals from defeat, tallying off a feed from O'Neill with only 2:14 to go in regulation, knotting the score at 11-11. Stafford's unassisted goal with 51 seconds left in the first three-minute overtime session put the home team ahead 12-11, but Wilton won the ensuing draw and drew even again. Johnson flipped a high shot over the reach of Cardinals sophomore goalie Caitlyn Bedford with 32 seconds showing on the clock.

"In overtime, we wanted to get a few quick shots, get a lead and after that, play defense," Bowers said. "But it's all about draw control and today it was about 50-50."

Both goalies turned in stellar performances. Bedford made 11 saves for Greenwich, while Gunts stopped 11 shots for Wilton.

"Caitlyn prevented a lot of shots on goal by being in good position and made some very nice saves," Gerber said.

Wiseman and Wilton co-head coach Ciara Thurlow left the game impressed with the Cardinals' effort, particularly in the second half.

"They definitely did a better job of double teaming in the midfield in the second half," Wiseman said. "They were very good on the draw, which is the key to the game, and they had some very fast, aggressive players."

POST CARDS: Greenwich received a tough break when senior tri-captain Lara Bennett received her second yellow card with 9:54 left in regulation. Bennett, one of the team's defensive leaders, was having a strong game up until that point ... Wilton entered the game ranked No. 2 on LaxPower.com, while GHS was ranked No. 3. ... Gerber credited freshman Johanna Mattson for helping lead the Cardinals' defensive effort. ... O'Neill, who plays either in back or in the midfield, was moved to one of the home positions. Gerber's move paid off, as O'Neill netted two key goals.