Huskies Fall to Minnesota Duluth, but Battle Hard
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Minnesota Duluth (3-0-0) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|
Michigan Tech (1-3-0) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech soccer team soccer team suffered a 3-1 loss in a hard fought non-conference match against Minnesota Duluth Sunday afternoon at Sherman Field. The Huskies fell behind 2-0 early in the second half, but closed the gap to one and stayed on the heels of the Bulldogs until the final minutes.
"I'm really proud of my team and how they played," Michigan Tech Head Coach Michelle Jacob said. "They showed a lot of character out there today after suffering the amount of injuries that we did. They never stopped fighting and kept playing hard and working for each other. I think that speaks volumes for the kind of people we have in this program. I thought we gave them a great game and proud of what we put out there."
Both defenses dominated during the first 20 plus minutes of the match, with limited scoring opportunities for both Minnesota Duluth (3-0) and Michigan Tech (1-3). The Huskies had the first shot on goal of the contest when freshman Emily Zeitunian forced goalie Sisley Ng to make a save.
The Bulldogs would strike in the 24th minute to take a 1-0 edge. Mikayla Iaquinto aimed for the top shelf of the goal, but senior goalie Kirsen Hudak was able to tip it away near the crossbar for the save. Unfortunately, the ball glanced off the bar and Logan Nash was able to head the ball in off the rebound.
Tech's defense buckled down for the remainder of the half and trailed by just one going into the intermission. However, early in the second period Minnesota Duluth would add to their advantage on a goal initiated by a corner kick. Nash lobbed the ball in from the corner and Skye Finley was there to deflect it in from about six yards out to extend the lead to 2-0.
The Huskies kept their intensity up though and in the 63rd minute got right back into the match when freshman Brooke Schauer launched a long shot over Ng for her first goal. Schauer lofted the ball with a great strike into the air and it descended right over the outstretched hand of Ng and under the crossbar to make it a 2-1 game.
Tech had a couple of other chances at the equalizer, but Ng was able to keep the shots from finding the back of the net. Shortly after Schauer's goal, senior Sarah Boyd put a shot on goal in the 68th minute and in the 85th minute junior Andrea Zubke nearly tied the match with a blast of her own.
The Bulldogs then picked up their insurance goal a couple of minutes later in the 87th minute when Natalie St. Martin dribbled into the open field and placed a shot just inside the far post.
Schauer had a solid afternoon offensively for the Huskies, leading the team with three shots and her first career collegiate goal. Zeitunian had a pair of shots with Zubke and Boyd each getting a crack at the net as well. Hudak played the majority of minutes in net and made three saves. Freshman Amanda Young picked up the other two saves for Tech in Sunday's match.
Finley powered the UMD offense with a match high five shots, including one of the three goals. Nash had a goal and an assist with Martin picking up both a goal and an assist as well. Ng played all 90 minutes in front of the net and earned the win with three saves in the contest.
The Huskies are back at Sherman Field on Friday for a showdown with Northwood followed by a contest against Saginaw Valley State Sunday afternoon to wrap up the four match home stand. Friday's kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. with Sunday's match scheduled for 12 p.m.
