ST. PAUL, Minn. - The University of Northwestern Women's Soccer Team kept their offensive momentum rolling Tuesday night under the lights of Reynolds Field against North Central University, striking early and often in a dominant first half, closing out a 6-0 win, for their third shutout straight.
It took just four minutes for the Eagles to get on the board as Briella Babcock (Byron, Minn./Byron) received a pass from Naomi Meehan (Waconia, Minn./Homeschool) at the top of the box and buried a shot into the far corner. Only minutes later, Babcock nearly doubled the lead, but her second goal was called back for offside. Meehan extended the lead midway through the first half after intercepting a clearance 20 yards out and curling a shot into the top corner. The NCCAA and UMAC Offensive Player of the Week, Marie Kendall (Dakar, Senegal/Dakar Academy), then took over. From near the sideline, Kendall's shot hit the crossbar and ricocheted off the back of the NCU keeper and into the net in the 14th minute. Four minutes later, she dribbled through multiple defenders from midfield before firing a deep strike for her second goal.
The Eagles' fifth goal came off a corner kick from Kendall that found the head of Haley Mersberger (Kiel, Wis./Elkhart Lake Glenbeulah), whose header bounced over the keeper's outstretched hands. Kendall tacked on her third goal with 11 minutes left in the first half. She received a pass from Meehan from the sideline, and kicked a laser of a shot from the top left of the box into the top right of the goal. Late in the half, Kendall nearly secured a fourth goal with a clever flick past the keeper that struck the post before being cleared.
Though the second half saw no goals, the Eagles continued to pour on the pressure with 16 shot attempts. Kendall capped another remarkable performance with her second consecutive hat trick, adding an assist and tallying 14 total shots with seven on target, in just 60 minutes of play. Mersberger added a goal and an assist on nine shots, while Meehan contributed a goal and two assists. Babcock scored once, Corbett placed both of her two shots on goal, and Madeline Hallberg (Princeton, Minn./Princeton), Jessica Redman (Beaver Dam, Wis./Beaver Dam), and Olivia Hagner (Coon Rapids, Minn./PACT Charter School) each added attempts off the bench. In goal, Sam Hansen (Cottage Grove, Minn./New Life Academy) and Kaisa Niska (Ramsey, Minn./Legacy Christian Academy) combined for the third consecutive clean sheet, with Niska making a key save in the final minutes.
UNW will be back home for Homecoming this Saturday. The second-place Eagles are hosting top-ranked UW-Superior. Kickoff is set for 4:00 PM and promises to be an exciting battle for the top of the UMAC after a full day of Homecoming festivities.
