ALTON — In a game that featured some 42 fouls to go along with a driving wind, it was actually team composure that played nearly as big a role Wednesday in a 1-1 draw between Marquette Catholic and Alton highs.

“I thought our girls played OK,” Marquette Steve Mitchell said. “Considering there were over 40 fouls, I thought we kept our composure. But we’re still not looking completely motivated. There just seems to be something missing.”

With the tie, Alton is 5-0-1 and Marquette is 0-3-1.

“I thought we played a little better in the first half,” Alton coach Jeff Hayes said. “But going against the wind and giving up an early goal in the second half, I thought we kept our composure and created scoring chances in the second half.”

Marquette’s Annabelle Copeland erased a 1-0 Alton lead with a goal less than four minutes into the second half. With the ball bouncing near the top of the penalty area, Marquette’s Elisa Senne got it to Copeland, whose long blast from the right side got past Redbirds goalie Julia-May Campbell, making it 1-1.

And that’s were the score remained. There was no overtime in the nonconference game.

Alton was whistled for 30 fouls and Marquette for 12 fouls. The Redbirds outshot Marquette 14-9.

“I’ve never seen anything quite like that,” Mitchell said. “It looked in the first half like they might run us out of here, but it was good to see the way the girls came together in the second half.”

The Redbirds played with the strong wind at their backs in the first half, with the Explorers getting help from the gusts in the second half.

“I don’t know how much it affected the game, but it can,” Hayes said. “It’s something a coach needs to talk about, but you have to be ready to play, no matter what the weather is doing. You just have to adjust. It is what it is.”

Alton grabbed the lead at 20:20 when Bri Hatfield took a pass from teammate Lindsey Grossheim and blasted a line drive from about 19 yards out past Explorers goalie Lauren Fischer.

But try as they did, the Redbirds couldn’t sneak any more goals past the Explorers goalie.

Five minutes prior to Hatfield’s goal, Annie Evans’ header off a Hatfield corner kick hit the cross bar from about six yards out. Also shortly before halftime, Alton’s Katie Kercher took a bounding ball from midfield and raced in on Fischer, who came out of the penalty area to kick the ball away.

After Copeland tied the score, both teams had their share of scoring chances. With 18:28 remaining in the game, Hatfield hit a low drive from the left side of the penalty area that zipped just wide of the right post.

With 9:45 left, Alton’s Alaina Nasello took the ball near the left Marquette corner, drove up the goal line and blasted a difficult-angle shot that Fischer punched out. Then, with 6:30 left, a direct free kick by Hatfield from about 25 yards deflected off the Explorers’ defensive wall and was eventually cleared.

Marquette will go in search of its first victory of the season Thursday when it travels to Breese Mater Dei for a 4:30 p.m. contest.

“This is my fourth year, and I haven’t seen anything quite like this,” Mitchell said. “We’re not playing badly, but just haven’t found the right combination. But it’s early. If the girls keep working, it will come.”

The next action for Alton will be its home opener against Springfield at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Redbirds’ new on-campus soccer facility behind the school.

Reach Pete Hayes at 463-2500 or Twitter @HayeserPete