Northwestern Dealt First Loss on Last-Minute Albany Goal

9/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Sept. 4, 2011

Box Score | Photo Gallery

Site: Evanston, Ill. (Lakeside Field)
Score: No. 17 Albany 2, Northwestern 1
Records: NU (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten), Albany (3-1, 0-0 America East)
Next NU Event: Saturday, Sept. 10 at Maryland • College Park, Md. • 10 a.m.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern and 17th-ranked Albany appeared destined for overtime Sunday afternoon until the Great Danes created a scoring chance with less than a minute to play and converted, sending NU to a 2-1 defeat at Lakeside Field. Senior Claire Thompson tallied her first goal of the season and the third of her career, but it wasn't enough to keep the 'Cats from their first loss of the year.

Even after the Great Danes' goal with 52 seconds to play, NU continued to fight and earned a penalty corner chance that took place after the scoreboard showed all zeroes. Junior Chelsea Armstrong got off a good shot in an attempt to send the game to overtime, but Albany cleared the rebound to put NU's comeback hopes to rest.

"This was one of those games that could have gone either way," said head coach Tracey Fuchs. "Both teams battled down to the last second of the game but credit Albany for taking advantage of a chance in front of the cage. We weren't as dangerous on offense as we needed to be so that's something to work on this week."

Although Albany seemed to dictate the pace of the game in the opening half -- hitting the post once and earning six penalty corners over the first 35 minutes compared to Northwestern's two -- it was the Wildcats who got on the scoreboard first. Held in check early on, Armstrong created a fast break when she sprinted 40-plus yards with the ball into the circle and promptly found a wide-open Thompson on the left post. Thompson handled the sharp pass with a one-timer goal, marking the fourth time in four games the Wildcats took a 1-0 lead.

Albany's equalizer came on a similar setup just over three minutes after halftime. Daphne Voormolen managed to dribble her way past an NU defender to the end line and get off a diving cross back across the goal mouth. Christina Patrick was there to put it away and tie the score at one apiece.

Overtime seemed inevitable as the game wore on until Patrick again made a play for the Danes, corralling a high-arcing ball in the circle and finding herself one-on-one with NU goalkeeper Maddy Carpenter. Carpenter deflected Patrick's shot with her pads but could not keep it out as Albany seized the lead with just 52 seconds to go.

NU put Albany back on its heels as the 'Cats scrambled for one last chance to even the score, but the Great Danes were able to withstand Armstrong's corner shot and hold on to win.

Albany finished the game with an 11-5 edge in both shots and penalty corners, while Carpenter posted a career-best for her young career with five saves in goal for NU.

On tap next for Northwestern is a road test against the top-ranked team in the nation, Maryland. Start time in College Park is set for 10 a.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 10.

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