Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Wisconsin
Women's Soccer Is In Big Ten Tournament
10/26/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 26, 2001
MADISON, Wis. -- On a blustery, brisk night at the McClimon Soccer Complex in Madison, Wis., Fate finally showed herself in a favorable light on the Northwestern women's soccer team.
Needing a win over Wisconsin and a loss by Indiana against Purdue, the Wildcats got exactly what they wished for. As a result, NU gained the eighth and final spot in the Big Ten Tournament. The Wildcats will meet regular-season champion Penn State in the first round on Thursday, Nov. 8, in West Lafayette, Ind.
In keeping with their Big Ten theme, however, NU's evening was not without its drama.
While Purdue scored early and held on for a 1-0 win over the Hoosiers in Bloomington, Northwestern was struggling to find the goal against the Badgers. In fact, it was the Wildcats who were on their heels for much of the second half.
However, overtime brought a change of ends. And a reversal of fortunes.
Just 31 seconds into the first extra session, Kase McCoy (Medina, Ohio/Medina) sent a ball across the goalmouth from the left side. A scramble ensued, and the ball landed at the feet of freshman forward Ashleigh Garmon (Oxnard, Calif./Buena). Garmon's shot rifled into the upper right corner of the goal, giving NU the golden-goal victory.
The joy of that goal turned into complete jubilation just minutes later, when word of Indiana's loss was relayed to the team.
Because of the results, both NU and Indiana finished with 3-6-1 Big Ten marks. However, the Wildcats advanced by virtue of winning the third tiebreaker according to Big Ten rules, which is goal differential. NU's goal differential was -4 (6-10), while IU's ended at -6 (13-19).
All three of Northwestern's Big Ten wins have come in dramatic fashion. The Wildcats defeated Purdue on a free-kick goal by McCoy with just two seconds left in regulation, and the win at Minnesota came in overtime after Katie Hertz (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) tied it with less than a minute left in regulation.
"This is so exciting," said head coach Jenny Haigh. "I'm most proud of our team for staying focused and poised. We competed to the very end of every game, and tonight it paid off. To get into the tournament because of goal differential just shows you how close things are in this conference."
"This is the best feeling I've had in a long time," said McCoy, who was a freshman the last time the Wildcats played in the Big Ten Tournament (1998). "Now we get a second chance, and that's all we can ask for. This opens up a lot of possibilities for us."
After a series of hard-luck decisions this season, Friday night's Big Ten regular-season finale seemed to even a lot of things out. The first omen that this might be NU's night came 10 minutes into the match, when Wisconsin's Lauren Schmidt rocketed a shot from in close off the crossbar.
NU withstood that rally, and the insertion of Garmon and Kristen Pearce (Morrison, Colo./Bear Creek) up front seemed to spark the team in the second portion of the first half. The Wildcats' best chance came when Kristiina Gilkey (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) sent a volley toward goal that UW keeper Kelly Conway caught at its apex.
The second half put the wind at the Badgers' back, and they took full advantage. NU was up to the challenge defensively, though there were some tense moments. The closest came with 12 minutes left when a cross was volleyed toward goal but just missed slipping inside the post.
Gilkey again provided the best NU opportunity, firing a shot from 22 yards out that bounced in front of Conway before she smothered it.
Northwestern won the coin flip before overtime, and wasted no time in deciding to defend the goal that put the wind at their backs.
"We were praying to win that flip," said Haigh. "Aileen Guiney (Naperville, Ill./North) has been our good luck charm all season, and she was again."
That set the stage for Garmon's gamewinner--her second of the season.
"The ball was rolling toward me, and I just said to myself, 'keep it low. Keep it low,'" said Garmon. "It's an amazing feeling."
At the other end, Susie McCreery (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) got her first career shutout. It ended an streak of seven straight matches--and 12 out of 14 this season--in which NU allowed just one goal.
"Wisconsin really challenged our defense tonight," said Haigh. "They picked us apart at times. But we never got rattled, and were able to keep them one or two passes from getting into a great situation. We stayed focused."
Northwestern will be back in action Sunday afternoon, hosting Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne at 1 p.m. at Lakeside Field. It will be the final home match for seniors McCoy, Hertz, Katie Kovatch (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West) and Enyo Dzata (Eugene, Ore./South).
Score By Half
Northwestern 0 0 1 - 1
Wisconsin 0 0 0 - 0
Scoring
NU - Ashleigh Garmon (Kas? McCoy), 90:31
Goalkeeper Saves
UW - Kelly Conway, 3
NU - Susie McCreery, 3
Shots
Wisconsin 13, Northwestern 9
Corner Kicks
Northwestern 6, Wisconsin 5
Fouls
Wisconsin 18, Northwestern 16
Offsides
N/A
Cards
UW - Kelly Kundert (Y), 43:45
NU - Lindsey Veris (Y), 72:13
Records
Northwestern 5-9-1, 3-6-1 Big Ten
Wisconsin 4-9-3, 1-7-2 Big Ten
