Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Ohio
Wildcats Defeat Ohio, 4-0
9/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 7, 2003
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EVANSTON, Ill. - On Friday, in its first match of the 2003 Wildcat Classic, Northwestern went through regulation and nearly two overtimes before finally recording its first win of the season.
On Sunday, NU did not wait nearly as long.
Spurred by a pair of goals from junior Ashleigh Garmon -- the first coming just 3:13 into the match -- Northwestern defeated Ohio University, 4-0, at the Leonard B. Thomas Sports Complex to finish with a 2-0 mark in the Classic and level its overall record at 2-2.
"These were some important results for us," said head coach Jenny Haigh following the match. "We developed some consistency, which was good to see. We set a high competitive standard, and then we stayed at that level throughout the weekend and especially today.
"I felt that we had to play very well to win today, and we did. To get the result because of our work rate is very rewarding, and I hope the women know that as well."
Garmon, who led NU in scoring in 2002, scored her first goal of this season when she outran a pair of Bobcat defenders to get a breakaway thanks to a nice long pass from senior Aileen Guiney. For Guiney, it was her 18th career assist, which puts her 13 away from the school record held by Kristen Palmer.
That was the only scoring of the half, but Garmon would strike again on the hour when she received a ball from Kristen Pearce along the left side and slotted a shot past OU goalkeeper Melissa Parra and inside the far post. It was bad luck for Ohio, which only moments earlier had nearly knotted the score when Christel Schiering's free kick rang off the post.
"Ashleigh can shoot the ball well, and she does not need a lot of opportunities before she gets dangerous," said Haigh.
Instead, things went downhill quickly for OU (1-3-0). Northwestern iced the match with a pair of goals just 29 seconds apart -- the fourth-shortest break between goals in program history. Freshman Katie Wright scored an unassisted goal with 19:01 to play, and then assisted on Pearce's first tally of 2003.
Pearce also had two assists on the day, for both of Garmon's goals.
At the other end, freshman Whitney Jones had three saves in collecting her second consecutive shutout. She was helped by strong play in front of her, as she was rarely tested by a team that scored three goals Friday against Minnesota.
"Our defense made huge strides from last week to this week," said Haigh. "We went from giving up six goals in a weekend to giving up none. It is important that they see their improvement; we as a coaching staff have seen it, but it is important for the women to recognize it, too."
Northwestern's four goals were the most in a match since last Sept. 13, when the Wildcats won at Louisville 4-0. In that match, Garmon set a school record with seven points (3 goals, 1 assist).
In the first match Sunday at the Thomas Complex, Minnesota rebounded from its loss to Ohio Friday with a 1-0 win over Florida Atlantic. The Gophers improved to 2-1-1 on the season, while the Lady Owls -- which came to Evanston undefeated -- fell to 3-2-0. Minnesota freshman Haley Lentsch scored the only goal, finishing a rebound when FAU goalkeeper Molly Keating made a diving save on a shot from Nicki Burnie but could not keep control of the ball. Lentsch has now scored in all four collegiate matches she has played.
NU MATCH SUMMARY
Score by Half
Ohio (1-3-0) 0 0 - 0
Northwestern (2-2-0) 1 3 - 4
Goal Summary
NU - Ashleigh Garmon (Aileen Guiney, Kristen Pearce), 3:13
NU - Garmon (Pearce), 59:39
NU - Katie Wright, 71:59
NU - Pearce (Wright), 72:28
Shots: Ohio 12, NU 11
Corner Kicks: NU 8, Ohio 1
Fouls: NU 13, Ohio 11
GK Saves: NU - Whitney Jones 3; OU - Melissa Parra 6
