Shaw OT Goal Pushes Huskies to 3-2 Win At UMD

DULUTH, Minn. – Jesse Jacobusse scored a first-half brace and Grace Shaw nabbed the game-winner in a thrilling 3-2 overtime win at Minnesota Duluth on Sunday. The win pushes Michigan Tech to 1-0-1 on the year, while Minnesota Duluth falls to 1-1-0.

"I'm really proud of the team for digging deep and coming out with the win," said Head Coach Michelle Jacob. "It's hard to play two back-to-back overtime games, and they really had to put it all out there."

The Bulldogs got on the board first with a goal by Emily Hintz in the 6th minute. A cross from the right wing found a Bulldog and her shot was initially saved by Gracie VanLangevelde, but the ball took a lucky bounce to Hintz after a failed clearance by the MTU defense and she scored.

Tech equalized quickly thanks to a well-placed effort by Jacobusse in the 14th minute. The play started after a save and clearance by VanLangevelde. Gabby Sgambati fed a long pass down the left flank to Shaw. The sophomore forward let loose a cross past the outstretched arms of the Minnesota Duluth goalkeeper and onto the foot of Jacobusse for the tying goal.

Jacobusse struck again three minutes later on a well-timed header. Following a goal kick by the Bulldogs, Jacobusse eventually found possession and laid it off to Shaw, who made a good run down the left wing. Shaw found space and floated a cross to an unmarked Jacobusse, and her header squirmed through the hands of the goalkeeper and into the net for the go-ahead goal in the 17th minute.

Tech's lead wouldn't last as Minnesota Duluth tied things up in the 25th minute. A shot from distance was stopped by VanLangevelde, but the rebound fell to a charging Hintz, and she equalized low past a diving VanLangevelde.

Sophomore Alexis Shatrau nearly gave Tech the lead in the 33rd minute off a header over the crossbar. A corner kick looped into the box and past the diving goalkeeper onto the rising head of Shatrau, but the ball rattled off the bar and out of play for a goal kick. VanLangevelde made a pair of saves in the closing minutes of the opening half, and both teams went into the locker room after an exciting 45 minutes of action.

VanLangevelde was a force in net in the second half, as she made consecutive saves in the 52nd and 54th minute before stopping a hard, low shot on five yards from goal in the 64th minute. Michigan Tech nearly went ahead in the 70th minute as Gabby Sgambati sent in a cross from the right looking for the outstretched foot of Shaw, but Shaw was just inches shy of making contact. The half ended with the score tied 2-2, sending the Huskies into their second consecutive overtime contest.

Shaw nearly won it for Tech in the opening seconds of the first overtime period as she received a pass from Jacobusse and maneuvered herself past two Bulldog defenders into the box with a terrific first touch, and her shot beat the keeper bottom right but was cleared out desperately by a defender.

In the 102nd minute, Shaw scored the game-winner off a quick counter-attack. An expertly-timed tackle by senior Anne Fife forced the ball to Loughlin, and the midfielder quickly hit Shaw on a through ball down the middle of the UMD defense. The 2018 All-GLIAC Second Team forward slotted her shot past the charging goalkeeper and into the goal for the first victory of 2019.

Shaw, Yeager, and Loughlin were all credited with assists, as was Fife on the game-winner as the secondary assist. In her first collegiate start, VanLangevelde got the win with 10 saves in 101:20 minutes of action, with seven stops coming in the first half. The Huskies were outshot 18-10 with five shots on goal to Minnesota Duluth's 13. Tech earned six corner kicks to Duluth's five.

"We are starting to hit out stride and I look forward to seeing where we can go from here," added Jacob.

The Huskies will return to Minnesota for their next set of games as they take on MSU-Moorhead on Friday (Sept. 13) at 5 p.m. EST. The team will then head to Minnesota Crookston on Sunday (Sept. 15) for a noon EST game.