Sampson Nets Equalizer to End Regulation; 'Cats Tie Raiders, 1-1
Sept. 16, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -- In a game that saw totals of 39 fouls and 25 shots through 110 minutes of soccer, Northwestern played Colgate to a 1-1 tie Sunday afternoon at the Lakeside Field. Sophomore Katherine Sampson (San Francisco, Calif./Drew School) put home the equalizer with 00:01 remaining in regulation. The tie pushes Northwestern's record to 4-1-2 while Colgate moves to 2-2-1. The Wildcats return to action at 4 p.m. Friday against St. Francis (Pa.) at the Lakeside Field. Just like they had done in their previous game against Penn, the Wildcats survived an opening push by their opponents and then put the pressure on in the middle stages of the first half. Both teams found it difficult to get momentum as a total of 17 fouls were called in the first frame. Colgate got on the board first with the wind at their back in the 43rd minute, just as the first half was nearing conclusion. After a scramble in the front of the NU net, Brittany Pearsall netted a goal at 42:15 to put the Raiders up 1-0 heading into halftime. With the wind at its back in the second half, Northwestern mounted an attack, putting up seven shots in the second frame to Colgate's three. With under five minutes to go, Colgate made a late substitution, forcing the stoppage of the game clock. In an outcome that was decided by one tick of the clock, this strategy proved to be the difference.
The Wildcats lined up for a corner kick with under a minute to play. Freshman Sam Greene (Santa Monica, Calif./Santa Monica) put the ball in play to the front of the Raider net. After a shot was denied, a scramble ensued in front of the goal. Freshman Jennifer Baumann (Waukesha, Wis./Catholic Memorial) pushed the ball back to Sampson, who was playing at the top of the 18' box to maintain pressure. The sophomore's shot found the back of the net with the clock showing 00:01.
The buzzer sounded a moment after play resumed at midfield and the teams headed to overtime with the score tied at 1-1. The goal was the first of Sampson's career and gave her four points for the season. The helper was Baumann's second assist of the season. Northwestern controlled play for the entire 20 minutes of overtime, but could not put home the game-winner. Both shots by the Wildcats in the first overtime were on goal. NU mounted a substantial charge in the second overtime, forcing two corner kicks and taking five shots with two on goal. NU's forward trio of Kelsey Hans (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville), Alicia Herczeg (Agoura Hills, Calif./Agoura) and Jenny Dunn (Pacific Palisades, Calif./Louisville) all had opportunities, but the Wildcats settled for the 1-1 tie. "We came out flat, but we had long stretches of the soccer we want to be playing," head coach Stephanie Erickson said. "We need to play 90 minutes of the soccer I watched us play in the closing stages of this game." Hans led the way with four shots for the game. Senior Shannon Schneeman (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) had two shots on goal. NU returns to action at 4 p.m. Friday against St. Francis (Pa.) before hosting Wright State at 1 p.m. Sunday. It will be the final weekend of non-conference play before the 'Cats open Big Ten season on the road at Purdue and Indiana. |
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