SUPERIOR, Wis. – For the third consecutive season, the University of Northwestern Women's Soccer team traveled to the University of Wisconsin-Superior in hopes of raising the UMAC Tournament Championship trophy and clinching a bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament. The teams split their regular season series with each team winning at home, setting the table for a true toss-up on a cloudy Saturday afternoon in Superior. Unfortunately for the Eagles, UW-Superior prevailed once again on its home turf, this time by a 3-0 score.
Through the first 45 minutes, both defenses stifled the opposition's attack. Northwestern, who scored three first half goals in the programs' last meeting in St. Paul, was held to just one shot on goal, while the Yellowjackets only managed four, which were all saved by freshman goalkeeper
Samantha Hansen (Cottage Grove, Minn./New Life Academy).
UWS eventually found a groove and proved why it had earned the number one seed in the UMAC Tournament. Goals in the 51
st and 70
th minutes put the Yellowjackets in control and one more in the 82
nd put the game out of reach. Northwestern nearly got within one when
Megan Kohrt (Monona, Wis./Homeschool) nearly curved a corner kick into the net, but UWS's keeper was able to haul it in.
Kohrt led the way for the Eagles' offensive attack, shooting four times and once on goal.
Haley Mersberger (Kiel, Wisc./Elkhart Lake Glenbeulah),
Meghan Corbett (Sartell, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral) and
Megan Moeller (Sheboygan, Wis./Sheboygan Christian School) each added a shot on goal. Hansen finished the game with five saves to close out her freshman campaign and was assisted on the back end by strong games from
Elle Bush (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) and
Lauren Bosley (Blaine, Minn./Blaine).
The good news for Northwestern and Head Coach
Josh Pettit is that all but two Eagles are set to return next season. That includes Mersberger, who is currently second in NCAA Division III women's soccer with 29 goals scored. The sophomore sensation is also first in shots per game, tied for third in the country in game-winning goals, third in shots on goal per game, fourth in goals per game and fourth in points per game.
Mersberger is not the only returning Eagle who was near the top of the country, statistically, however. Moeller currently sits in seventh-place in shots per game and Kohrt is 11
th. Kohrt is also sixth in Division III in shots on goal per game.
The bad news for UNW is the departure of seniors
McKenna Gordy (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) and
Samantha Kothari (La Crosse, Wis./West Salem). The pair helped anchor Northwestern's strong defense their entire careers and both played were a big reason for the success of the team in 2023, which featured a final record of 12-7-1, an 11-2-1 conference regular season record and a playoff win.
