Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Kent State
Northwestern Bested by Kent State in Overtime, 2-1
10/3/2010 12:00:00β―AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 3, 2010
Box Score
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Lakeside Field)
Score: Kent State 2, Northwestern 1 (OT)
Records: NU (8-4, 1-0 Big Ten), Kent State (7-5, 2-1 MAC)
Next NU Event: Thursday, Oct. 7 vs. UC Davis -- Evanston, Ill., 3 p.m.
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern and Kent State, two programs that are very much on the rise in college field hockey, clashed Sunday in an evenly contested game that needed overtime to determine a winner. The Golden Flashes were able to come up with the golden goal 10 minutes into the seven-on-seven extra session to win 2-1 and hold off the 'Cats, who saw their five-game winning streak come to an end.
Wildcat freshman Maria Kovalchuk scored her first career goal in the second half, tying the game after Kent State had taken a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute on a penalty stroke. Debbie Bell tallied both goals for the Golden Flashes in the game.
"They're a great team, well-coached and dangerous on offense so the credit goes to them for pulling it out," Northwestern head coach Tracey Fuchs said of Kent State, which already has wins this season over No. 6 Michigan State and No. 8 Syracuse. "We came out in the first half a little tentative and even though we were able to overcome that on the scoreboard, I'm not sure we ever played as well offensively as we'd like to. I thought Amanda Wirth had a great game in the cage for a second-straight game."
In a first half that saw two teams combine for just four shots through 20 minutes, Northwestern fell behind on the penalty stroke after a Wildcat player was whistled for an infraction near the goalline. Wirth, who made nine saves on the day, was able to get her blocker to Bell's lifted stroke attempt but not enough to push the shot safely away.
The game came under some controversy later in the first half when Kent State saw a goal disallowed after a shot was deflected into the cage by a Wildcat. After initially ruling the play a goal, the officials conferred and instead awarded only a penalty corner.
With 20 minutes to go in regulation, Kent State would again see an apparent second goal taken off the board by the officials as score remained 1-0.
NU gained momentum through the second half and finally broke through when Kovalchuk took a pass in the middle of the circle from fellow freshman Nikki Parsley on a delayed breakaway. Closely guarded by her Kent State defender, Kovalchuk brought the ball to her left side to set up a backhand shot that grazed the goalkeeper's pads and found its way into the cage.
The action in overtime was predictably wide open with a total of eight fewer players occupying the field. After Kent State had the initial scoring opportunity in the extra session, Northwestern nearly won it when Parsley worked the ball to the end line and slammed a pass toward Chelsea Armstrong across the goal mouth. Armstrong could not get her stick to it, however, as the ball sailed out of bounds.
Minutes later, Kent State quickly got the ball upfield and to Bell in the center of the field, who slid it past a charging Wirth to wrap up the victory.
Kent State managed to outshoot Northwestern, 17-7, thanks in part to its 9-5 advantage in penalty corner chances.
The Wildcats continue their longest homestand of the season Thursday when they host UC Davis at Lakeside Field. Start time is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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