Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Ohio State
'Cats Best Ohio State in Double Overtime, 4-3
10/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 1, 2006
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It took more than 103 minutes to settle, but the Northwestern Wildcats defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes in double overtime Sunday, 4-3. Alicia Herczeg's putback off her own rebound in the 104th minute proved to be the game-winner. Juniors Kelsey Hans (Lakeville, Minn.) and Shannon Schneeman (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) also netted goals for the 'Cats.
Northwestern swept its first Big Ten road weekend and Sunday's win improves the 'Cats to 3-1 in the Big Ten, 7-5 overall. The loss drops Ohio State to 5-5-1, 1-3 in conference.
After fending off early Buckeye scoring opportunities the Wildcats got on the board first in the 10th minute when Schneeman's shot from 18 yards deflected off an Ohio State defender and into the net for a Buckeye own goal.
Hans pushed the lead to 2-0 less than a minute later when she headed a cross from Jenny Dunn (Pacific Palisades, Calif./Louisville) into the net for her fifth goal of the year. Hans added to an already successful road weekend. She scored the game-winner Friday at Minnesota.
Ohio State's Lisa Collison scored a true hat trick with three-straight goals in a ten minute span to give the Buckeyes a 3-2 lead. Two of her goals were off one-on-one opportunities against junior goalkeeper Lauren Johnston (Denver, Colo./Denver East). Collison's last goal, in the 23rd minute, concluded the scoring for the first half.
Contrary to the first frame, the second half stayed scoreless until the 68th minute. The Wildcats were granted a penalty kick after a Buckeye defender touched the ball with her hand inside the six-yard box. Schneeman, who scored on her only other penalty kick opportunity of 2006, took the shot and scored the equalizer. The junior set up the play with a corner kick. The 'Cats registered three shots before the foul. Dunn, Tori Bohannon (Neenah, Wis./Neenah), and Jeanette Lorme (Santa Clarita, Calif./Saugus) fired successive shots that were all saved by the Buckeye net minder. The tally evened the score at 3-3 and moved Schneeman's 2006 total to five.
Johnston had to make a save with four minutes remaining to keep the score tied and the teams headed to the first of two ten-minute overtime periods.
Ohio State controlled the play in the first extra session, but the Northwestern defense did not crack.
"We definitely had to weather the storm in the first overtime" head coach Stephanie Erickson said.
Herczeg scored the game-winning goal at the 103:50. Dunn raced toward the endline with the ball and served a cross. The Buckeye goalie denied the freshman's first attempt, but Herczeg put her own rebound back into the net for the game-winner. The goal was the first for Herczeg as a Wildcat.
"That is a huge first collegiate goal," Erickson said. "It's such a big thing for us to go down in a game, come out and tie it, and then win it in overtime. We are getting better with our health and our soccer at a good time in the year."
The 'Cats begin their last home weekend at 4 p.m. Friday against Michigan State.
