Northwestern University Athletics
Women's Soccer Wins Overtime Thriller
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Nov. 11, 1998
No. 20 Northwestern went to double overtime to notch its first-ever NCAA tournament win, defeating Evansville this evening on the road, 2-1. Freshman forward Katie Hertz (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) headed in the game-winner off a free kick from senior defender Kristen Palmer (Huntington Beach, Calif./Marina) in the 110th minute.
"It was basically a contest between me and the keeper, and I just got there first," Hertz said when asked to describe the goal, scored amid a crowd right in front of the net.
"It looked to me like Katie's head was as high as the crossbar," added Palmer of Hertz' leap.
Northwestern's first goal, coming in the final minute of the first half, led off the game's scoring. Though not off a set play, the goal was nearly identical to the game-winner. Sophomore forward Brooke Bell (Wheaton, Ill/Wheaton-Warrenville) crossed a ball in to junior forward Christie Molitor (Kalamazoo, Mich./Portage Central), who shot the ball into a nearly empty net from four yards out.
Molitor's goal capped a half for which NU dominated the final two-thirds, playing possession soccer after a tentative opening 15 minutes.
Evansville came out firing for the second half, outshooting the Wildcats 6-1 in the first 25 minutes after being outshot 7-3 in the first half. The Purple Aces' goal came in the 55th minute on the third shot of a breakaway led by two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, junior midfielder Krissy Meek. Meek scored on her second shot after losing a goal to a defender save, and after teammate senior forward Shelean Roylance hit the post with another shot.
Momentum did not shift back to Northwestern's side until the final ten minutes of regulation. The Wildcats nearly scored on two corner kicks in the last two minutes. Play in overtime was nearly even. Northwestern's most superlative performances after halftime came from its backs, especially Palmer, freshman midfielder Sara Bodine (St. Louis, Mo./Visitation Academy) and freshman defender Enyo Dzata (Eugene, Ore./South), subbed into the game to add team speed.
Afterwards Coach Marcia McDermott described NU's opponent as one of the best to play together as a team, saying that she "knew they'd come at us with phenomenal intensity." The game was played before a boisterous crowd of 1,022, Northwestern's largest audience of the season.
Northwestern's second-round game will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Baylor received a bye in the tournament first round. In the other half of Northwestern's bracket, James Madison defeated Radford, 4-0, and will play No. 3 Florida, who received a bye.
In other Big Ten action, all six conference teams will play in the round of 32 this weekend. No. 10 Penn State received a bye, and will host Indiana, who defeated Wright State 3-1 today. No. 18 Michigan defeated Xavier 4-2 and will play No. 4 Notre Dame. Wisconsin beat Central Florida 2-0 and will play No. 9 Dartmouth. Minnesota won the most lopsided match of the first round, beating Kentucky 6-0. The Golden Gophers will play No. 6 Portland this weekend.
NEXT NORTHWESTERN MATCH: Sun., Nov. 15 * 2 p.m. @ No. 17 Baylor; Waco, Texas
No. 20 NORTHWESTERN at Evansville NCAA Tournament First Round Nov. 11, 1998 Evansville, Ind. Weather: Clear, 40 Attendance: 1,022 Referee: Ken Mather; Assistants: G. Bowes, R. MilikenScoring 1 2 1OT 2OT F Northwestern 1 0 0 1 2 Evansville 0 1 0 0 1
Scoring: 1. NU Christie Molitor (Brooke Bell, 44:08); 2. UE Krissy Meek (Sandy Jakubczak, 54:29); 3. NU Katie Hertz (Kristen Palmer, 109:28)
Shots: NU 19, UE 14 Corner Kicks: NU 7, UE 1 Fouls: NU 18, UE, 12 Cards: NU Shay Unterreiner (Yellow, 101:11) UE Team (Yellow, 106:20) Goalie Saves: NU 5 (Erin Ekeberg); UE 5 (Molly Kearns) Updated Records: Northwestern 15-4-1; Evansville 14-6-2
