SACRAMENTO, Calif. - After 97 minutes of scoreless soccer Sacramento State sophomore forward Kayla Collins netted the game winning goal as the Hornets opened Big Sky play with a 1-0 overtime time win over defending conference champion Northern Arizona on Friday at Hornet Field.

"I started going forward and said 'ok, this is the shot' and I just shot it and it went under her arm thank goodness," Collins said after her team-leading third goal of the season. "It felt so great. The intensity going into the game was way higher (than in non-conference play) and to be able to come in and win it is such an adrenalin rush."

Junior Jennifer Lum led Collins on a run to the top of the box, and the Hornet sophomore took a dribble and fired a low shot through traffic and under the arms of NAU goalkeeper Natalie Gilbertson to give the Hornets the win in their Big Sky opener.

"As a first year player for us Kayla scoring the biggest goal of our season is huge," Sacramento State head coach Randy Dedini said. "Beating the Big Sky defending champ is great, and it took us overtime but we got it done and we're really excited moving forward. To start out 1-0 is not nearly enough to win the conference, but it's a good start and our girls earned it."

Sacramento State (3-6-0, 1-0-0 Big Sky) recorded its first shutout of the season, with redshirt freshman Destiny Butcher making four saves, including a couple tremendous stops, for her first career clean sheet.

The defending Big Sky Tournament champion, Northern Arizona (5-5-0, 0-1-0 Big Sky) was picked to win the league in the preseason Big Sky Coaches' Poll. The Lumberjacks had won five of their last six games while tallying 22 goals during that stretch entering play on Friday.

Though there was no scoring through regulation time both teams had some strong chances. The shots were even 10-10 through 90 minutes with NAU holding a slim 4-3 advantage in shots on goal.

Butcher made her first superb save in the 12th minute, denying Haley Wingender, the leading scorer in the Big Sky, on a diving stop. Sacramento State did not have a shot on goal in the first half, but early in the second half Lum had a close run and fired a shot that narrowly missed to the upper corner.

In the 59th minute, NAU's Adrian Nixt had a clear shot on Butcher but the Hornet goalkeeper made a point-blank save. The Hornets forced Gilbertson to make three saves in the second half with a 7-3 shot advantage in the period.

Collins nearly had the game winner in the 97th minute as she had a break on goal but narrowly missed a shot to the far post. Less than two minutes later she found the game winner.

On a 95-degree afternoon the Hornets ended the game with a 12-11 edge in shots while Northern Arizona held a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks. Lum led all players with four shots while Collins had three. Wingender and Nixt each took three shots for the Lumberjacks.

Sacramento State won its Big Sky opener for the third time in the last four years while defeating NAU for the first time since 2010. The Hornets will look to keep the momentum going when they host Southern Utah on Sunday at 1 p.m.