MORRIS, Minn. - In their final regular-season match, the University of Northwestern Women's Soccer Team traveled to Morris to take on the Cougars. With the UMAC Tournament approaching, the Eagles looked to fine-tune their play heading into the postseason. Offensively, UNW was firing on all cylinders, scoring three goals in each half en route to a 6-0 victory.
Marie Kendall (Dakar, Senegal/Dakar Academy) opened the scoring just 56 seconds into the game. She stole the ball deep in the Eagles' attacking third, took a touch, and lifted a shot over the goalkeeper to give Northwestern the early 1-0 advantage. With 15 minutes remaining in the first half, Kendall assisted Ada Meehan (Waconia, Minn./Homeschool) on Northwestern's second goal. Kendall took a free kick from well outside the box and sent a shot toward the upper-right corner. The ball struck the post and bounced back into the box, where Meehan was waiting to put away the rebound. Kendall secured her second goal of the afternoon in the 43rd minute with some fancy footwork. With a defender on her back, the sophomore slipped the ball through the defender's legs before using her next touch to send a shot into the top of the net, giving the Eagles a 3-0 lead heading into halftime.
Coming out of the break, Naomi Meehan (Waconia, Minn./Homeschool) delivered two assists to help Northwestern extend its lead to five. Her first came just three minutes into the second half when she sent a corner kick into the box and found the head of Isabelle Stevens (Junction City, Wis./Stevens Point) for her first career goal. Stevens had come close on several corner-kick opportunities over the previous couple of games, but this time she found the back of the net.
Just 54 seconds later, Meehan recorded her second assist of the afternoon, setting up Kendall's hat trick. The junior evaded two defenders before sending a cross into the box, where Kendall finished the play to give Northwestern a 5-0 advantage. Kendall's impressive season has also placed her among the nation's top Division III players. She currently leads all of NCAA Division III in total goals, total points, goals per game, points per game, shots per game, and shots on goal per game.
Jessica Redman (Beaver Dam, Wis./Beaver Dam) added the final goal of the afternoon, collecting her first goal of the season and the second of her career. After a saved shot, Redman tracked down the rebound, took a touch to beat a defender, and faked out the goalkeeper before finding the back of the net to secure the 6-0 victory.
Kendall finished with three goals on six shots on target, along with an assist. Ada Meehan (Waconia, Minn./Homeschool) recorded a goal and two shots on target, while Redman added a goal and three shots on target. Stevens also recorded a goal, putting both of her shot attempts on target. Naomi Meehan (Waconia, Minn./Homeschool) finished with two assists and four shots on target. Sam Hansen (Cottage Grove, Minn./New Life Academy) made one save in 77 minutes in goal, while Ella Rydberg (Plymouth, Minn./Heritage Christian Academy) completed the shutout over the final 13 minutes.
With the win, Northwestern secured the No. 2 seed in the UMAC Tournament. The Eagles will host No. 3 Martin Luther College on Wednesday at Reynolds Field in the conference semifinals. Game time is yet to be determined.
