TACOMA, Wash.  Exhaustion. That was certainly the look of the crumpled players on the turf of Peyton Field at Baker Stadium late Sunday afternoon as Whitman College and host University of Puget Sound players raced back and forth across that turf for 110 minutes and in the end, had to settle for a double-overtime 1-1 tie in a taut Northwest Conference men's soccer battle. 

When the final horn sounded players just dropped to the turf; some on their backs, others on hands and knees, and a few lucky ones with a little more energy bent over supporting themselves with hands on knees.

The tension-packed game, which was as mentally draining as it was physically, left Whitman at 6-3-1 overall and at 2-1-1 in the league while Puget Sound moved to 4-2-2 and 1-1-2, respectively.

The name of the game Sunday was transition, as neither team pulled back, slowly probing the other's defensive half of the pitch. No, this was a game in which every time down field seemed to result in at least a set piece or a scoring look if not a scoring chance.

Whitman goalkeeper Owen Davis-Bower ended the day with four saves and his Logger counterpart, Jacob Palmer, finished with eight -- three in the second 10-minute overtime period.

The shots on frame weren't indicative of the action. Combined there were 30 shots and 13 corner kick chances, with many of those ending with extraordinary efforts from defenders or forwards to repel or attack.

Yet the frenetic pace and up and down action resulted in just one offside all afternoon.

Not until late in the first half did the scoreboard do anything more than just tick away the seconds.

Serious pressure from Whitman began to generate a series of shots in the final five minutes before the intermission. Finally, shortly after one of his shots was blocked Whitman's Ben Freedman broke across the top of the box with possession and launched a left-footed shot from 25 yards out into the upper left corner of the frame, slipping it past the outstretched gloved fingertips of Palmer to lift the visitors in front at the 42:54 mark.

For the next 45 minutes it seemed as if each one of those minutes resulted in a quick transition down field from one team or the other.

Trailing by one in the final minutes of the game Puget Sound pressed everyone forward, desperately seeking the equalizer. And after 87 minutes of action that goal finally came, off the boot of PS's Zac Lokay who poked a shot off a cross from the right just inside the post with 2:03 remaining in regulation time.

The initial 10-minute extra period, though just as fast paced, resulted in just three shots -- two that were wide and another that was blocked away harmlessly by a defender.

The second extra period saw Whitman's Jacob Fritz generate three shots on frame forcing Palmer into action, each time successfully to keep the score deadlocked through to that final, perhaps welcoming, horn.

The tie keeps Whitman near the top of the league standings, tied for second place with Whitworth University.

Northwest Conference action resumes Saturday and Sunday at home for Whitman which welcomes George Fox University and then Pacific (Ore.) University to the Whitman Athletic Fields for weekend action.