University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Tie Iowa 1-1 in Double Overtime
9/24/2010 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
A stormy night in Iowa City ended in a 1-1 double overtime draw for the Minnesota women's soccer team as the Gophers tied Iowa to open the Big Ten season on Thursday night. Junior midfielder Shari Eckstrom tallied her team-high fifth goal of the year while freshmen forwards Lauren Bauer and MacKenzie Misel both picked up their career points for the Gophers on assists.
Despite rainy weather and high winds that plagued both teams throughout the game, Minnesota (8-1-2 overall, 0-0-1 Big Ten) managed to outshoot the Hawkeyes 16-9 under the dreary conditions and jumped out to a first half lead in the 32nd minute when Eckstrom's strike found the back of the net. Bauer and Misel, in as first half reserve forwards, set Eckstrom up with the ball just outside the six-yard box. From there, the junior midfielder sent a powerful strike towards the far post, past a sprawling Emily Moran in goal for the Hawkeyes. The goal moved Eckstrom into an eight-way tie for the conference lead in goals.
The Gophers managed to carry a 1-0 lead into halftime but had to play against the wind in the second half of Thursday's contest, severely hindering the team's ability to move the ball up the field. And while Iowa was outshot 8-5 in the second half, the Hawkeyes used a key corner kick from Morgan Showalter to even the score at 1-1. Showalter assisted on the equalizer when her corner attempt bounced off of Alex Melin and past sophomore goalkeeper Cat Parkhill for Melin's third goal of the year. It was the only successful set piece of the game despite the Gophers having a 14-5 advantage over the Hawkeyes on corners. For Parkhill, it was the lone blemish in a two-save performance.
As the wind and rain picked up, the two teams continued to struggle to build momentum as the second half expired without a clear winner. Overtime would be a different story though as the Gophers dominated the extra sessions, outshooting their opponents 5-1 in the extra periods and denying a shot by the Hawkeyes in the final overtime period. But Minnesota could not tally the winning strike even after keeping the ball away from Parkhill and the defensive third for nearly the entirety of overtime.
Redshirt freshman forward Steph Brandt led the Gophers with five shots in the draw while Iowa's Dana Dalrymple was one off Brandt's pace with four. Senior midfielders Molly Rouse and Julie Rezac each tacked on three shots a piece while Rezac, who earned her first start of the year, landed all three of her attempts on net for a game high.
No. 18/19 Minnesota returns to action this Sunday at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium with a top-25 matchup against No. 15/20 Illinois. That game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. CST start time.
