Northwestern
Ball State
'Cats Earn First Win of 2006
8/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Aug. 27, 2006
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Muncie, Ind. -- Northwestern used three first-half goals en route to a 4-3 victory over Ball State Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats even their 2006 record to 1-1 while the Cardinals fell to 0-2.
"Today was a true team effort," head coach Kelly McCollum said. "I am proud of how our team responded from a tough loss yesterday. We set our standard of play and played our possession game, which allowed us to control the match."
Four different 'Cats contributed to the scoring column, as Christina Foley (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Cape Elizabeth), Alex Quinn (Watertown, Mass./Watertown), Jill Putnam (Greenfield, Mass./Greenfield) and Elizabeth Gemgnani (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) all recorded their first goals of the season.
Northwestern wasted no time getting on the board. At the 7:33 mark, Foley put the ball between the pipes off a corner, thanks to assists from Katie Charles (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) and Amanda Care (Newtown, Pa./Pennsbury).
Ball State responded with a goal at the 11:52 mark, but the 'Cats had an answer. Less than a minute later, Quinn contributed her goal as the sophomore backhanded the ball into the cage from the left side. Megan Sieberg (Toledo, Ohio/Maumee Valley Country Day) assisted Gemgnani with less than a minute left in the first stanza to push NU's advantage to 3-1 at the break.
The Wildcats opened the second half with a goal by Putnam thanks to an assist by Quinn. Northwestern held on to win, despite two late-match goals by the Cardinals.
The 'Cats are next in action on Friday, Sept. 1 when Missouri State visits Lakeside Field for the 2006 home opener. The match is slated for 1 p.m.
