ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Wisconsin-Superior Women's Soccer team entered Reynolds Field Wednesday evening as the only undefeated team in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. They would not leave as such. The University of Northwestern defended its home turf and used an explosive start to avenge an early season loss by a 3-1 margin.
UNW got on the board first when
Megan Kohrt (Monona, Wis./Homeschool) tracked down a deflected corner kick and tapped it back to
Mya Chan (Brandon, S.D./Homeschool) (who had just taken the corner), who crossed the ball into the box and off of the UWS goalkeeper's hands.
Haley Mersberger (Kiel, Wisc./Elkhart Lake Glenbeulah), as she always seems to be, was in perfect position to knock it in.
The Eagles kept their feet on the gas, scoring again in the 21
st minute when Chan found Kohrt, who used some fancy footwork and a left-footed bender to sneak one by the Yellowjackets' keeper. Not satisfied, Northwestern continued their early onslaught when Mersberger found
Megan Moeller (Sheboygan, Wis./Sheboygan Christian School) streaking up the field. Moeller, facing a charging UW-Superior goalie, was able to win the one-on-one battle and put UNW up 3-0.
While the first half was dominated by the offense, the entire game was dominated by Northwestern's goalkeeper,
Samantha Hansen (Cottage Grove, Minn./New Life Academy). The freshman made 10 saves and held the UMAC's top team scoreless until the 65
th minute. In addition to a couple of highlight reel saves in the first half, she made diving saves in the 69
th, 72
nd and 83
rd minutes to keep the Yellowjackets at bay.
The Eagles were outshot by the Yellowjackets, but were incredibly efficient with their opportunities. Nine of their 14 shots were on goal, and three turned into goals in the 3-1 win. Individually, Moeller led the team in shots with five, two of which were on goal. Mersberger shot four times with three of them being on goal, while Kohrt fired three shots, all on goal. Chan added two shots and a shot on goal in addition to her two assists.
Northwestern will look to build on the momentum of Wednesday night's win when they host North Central Saturday at 1:00 PM. You can catch all the action on unweagles.com and the Eagle Sports Network.
