SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Facing a 1-0 deficit and desperate to score, the Golden Eagles (14-3-1) used a well-timed header off a corner kick in the 73rd minute before a Northwood (Texas) (7-7-2) mistake in the final minutes advanced John Brown to the Sooner Athletic Conference semifinals with a 2-1 double-overtime victory this afternoon at Siloam Springs.
The tie-breaking strike happened in the 108th minute as both teams were preparing for what seemed like the inevitability of a shootout.
With the match deadlocked at one apiece and both teams landing scoring chances in the second overtime, a Golden Eagle attack worked its way up the field. A Knight interception and clear to the sidelines forced a John Brown throw-in from the left side. Junior Rachel Harris' toss fell into a crowd of players, but she followed up her throw and managed to chip the ball ahead to a streaking Adrienne Kennedy.
Kennedy found herself in a one-on-one with the NU netminder, Hideka Shikata, before sliding a cross-crease pass to an oncoming Alex Fahr at the far post. As the ball approached the goal line, Fahr's pressure forced a clearing attempt by a Knight defender, which failed, and instead was sent into the net for the game-winning mark.
"That was an incredible match Northwood played," admitted head coach Kathleen Paulsen, "and they made us fight and compete for everything. I could not be more proud of this group of ladies. They battled and fought through a lot of obstacles today. To come back from a 1-0 score says something about the character of this team. We will get some rest and prepare for another difficult match on Tuesday."
While the second extra-session was tense and only featured one shot, the clinching goal, the first overtime saw both teams with opportunities to score. In the 106th minute, freshman Braydi Frederick had an opportunity to seal the victory up the right side but sailed a shot just wide. Moments later, a Northwood attack materialized into a prime scoring opportunity, but NU's Leslie Paez's shot sailed just over the crossbar.
Down 1-0 and carrying all the pressure, Fahr's trip up the right flank turned into a scoring chance when Harris had her shot blocked from the top of the box, allowing the Golden Eagles a corner kick and a chance to equalize. Junior Casey O'Brien took the corner and sent a perfect ball to the far post where an unmarked Frederick headed the ball in to knot the score. The tally was Frederick's seventh goal of the season.
Northwood found the scoreboard early in the match. In the sixth minute, a John Brown clearing attempt went awry before the Knights' Katie Knapp sent a ball from the middle to the ride side at the top of the box. Karyn Forbes trapped the pass and fired a low, hard shot to the near post for an NU lead.
The match, which featured some wind and sun interference at times, was highly physical as 26 fouls were called, 14 against the Golden Eagles. Frederick's strike in the second half was courtesy of one of JBU's four corner kicks in the match, compared the visitors' five.
Although she was bested early in the match, sophomore goalkeeper Kristen Morency (14-3-1) wouldn't allow another Northwood goal and finished the match with seven saves. Shikata (4-5-1) collected five saves and suffered the double-overtime loss.
Frederick easily paced the Golden Eagle offense, notching six shots while Harris and Kennedy each posted three apiece. Northwood owned an 18-17 shot advantage, including an 8-7 margin in attempts on goal.
With the victory, the Golden Eagles advance to the tournament semifinals to be played at Alumni Field on Tuesday (Nov. 12) at 2:00 p.m. John Brown will host the winner between Science & Arts (Okla.) and Wayland Baptist (Texas), a match set to begin at 7:00 p.m. in Plainview, Texas.
