Solid Defense Gives 'Cats 1-0 Win in Ann Arbor
Northwestern battles through 18 Michigan shot attempts, scores on an own goal
ANN
ARBOR, Mich. – Northwestern used a combination of solid defense and a
crafty in-bounds play to defeat Michigan 1-0 Saturday night in Ann
Arbor. Michigan fired off 18 shots while NU goalies Sam Hatfield
(Crossfield, Alberta/W.G. Murdoch) and Anna Cassell (Salt Lake City,
Utah/Skyline) combined to save five shots and Northwestern scored on an
own goal for the 1-0 victory.
“I’m so proud of our team
tonight,” Northwestern head coach Stephanie Foster said. “We played
some good soccer but we mostly had to defend hard against a Michigan
team that threw everything at us. Anyone who has followed us this
season knows we can get this kind of result. It’s a huge win on the
road any season, but it is crucial this season.”
Northwestern’s
goal came at the 58:03 mark when Nicole Jewell (Raleigh, N.C./Leesville
Road) had a throw-in attempt that went into the Wolverines’ net
backwards off a header by Michigan’s Courtney Mercier.
The
Wildcats fought off 18 shots by Michigan, including 12 in the second
half, seven that came after Northwestern’s goal, and 11 corner kicks
for the Wolverines. Hatfield started in goal for Northwestern, saving
two shots in 37:01 minutes of action. Cassell replaced Hatfield and
defended the net well, saving three shots, including a big one at the
88:28 mark, and was credited with the win.
Despite the 18-8
advantage in shots for Michigan, Northwestern fired off five attempts
in the first half. Sami Schrakamp (Danville, Calif./Monte Vista) and
Kate Allen (Whitehouse, Ohio/Anthony Wayne) each had two attempts.
Michigan also had the 5-4 advantage in shots on goal as Michigan
goalkeeper Hayle Kopmeyer saved three.
|