Oct. 11, 2002

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Intense. Stressful. Emotional. Supercharged. Any of the aforementioned adjectives would be a perfect way to describe the action here Friday(Oct. 11) as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Minnesota played to a 2-2 double overtime draw in non-conference women's soccer action. The two squads played a hotly-contested, hard-fought battle for 110 minutes only to see the game end in the tie. With the draw, Milwaukee is now 6-4-2 on the season while the Golden Gophers move to 6-6-1.

UWM proved to be the aggressor early on, pressuring Minnesota from the opening kick. The Panthers controlled the first 20 minutes of the contest with tough defense and aggressive runs up top. Sparkplug, and recently converted defender, Erin Shaughnessy gave UWM an early lead when she scored on a nifty spin move from the top of the penalty box. The junior, who just missed a scoring chance 30 seconds earlier, took a Maggie Suminksi pass, spun around a defender and beat the UM goalkeeper at the 17:58 mark. The goal was the first of No. 4's three-year Panther career.

"Erin really gave us a boost up top," UWM head coach Michael Moynihan said. "She's a very physical presence and she plays very aggressive. She really causes problems for the defense because she is relentless. She just scored a great goal and she showed that she really wanted to play."

Unfortunately for Milwaukee, the first half lead didn't stand until intermission as the Gophers knotted the score just 19 minutes later. UM's Laura Hoppe lofted a 25-yard shot over UWM keeper Mary Duffy at the 36:15 mark to tie the game at one. The goal was the first against the Panther defense in over 550 minutes, a span of five-plus games. The two teams finished the first half nearly identical in the stat sheet as both teams took four shots while Minnesota committed 11 fouls to UWM's eight.

The second half began much like the first as Milwaukee kept pressure on the Minnesota defense with fresh players every four or five minutes. Moynihan used 22 different players on the day, nine of which played up-top at one point or another.

Milwaukee took control of the game on the scoreboard 26 minutes into the second frame when Elizabeth Chudy found the net for the third time this season. Maggie Suminski notched her second assist of the game when she lofted a free kick towards the goal from just outside the penalty box on the right side. From there the 5-8 former Panther basketball player took over as she leaped above the crowd to head home a shot and give UWM a 2-1 lead.

However, much like the first half, the Milwaukee lead was shortlived as Minnesota tied the game exactly four minutes later. UM's high-scoring Rachel Roth took advantage of some indecision in the Panther penalty box for her Big Ten Conference-leading 10th goal of the year. The Gophers' Hilary Stowell launched a 35-yard free kick that bounced free inside the six-yard box where Roth pounced on it and tucked it under Panther keeper Molly Schneider.

"I'm disappointed in the quality of the goal we gave up in the second half because that ended up being the difference in the match," Moynihan noted. "We had some confusion as to who would clear the ball and no one did. Overall, we just had a couple little glitches in the match that cost us the win."

While the remaining 15 minutes of regulation and two, ten-minute overtime sessions ended without a goal, there was still plenty of excitement. UWM missed on three prime chances in the first overtime only to see a few shots sail wide or get deflected in front of the net. Then, in the second extra session, Minnesota missed a good scoring opportunity when Roth's free kick from just outside the penalty box was blocked by the Panther wall. Roth was awarded the kick when she was taken down by Schneider with :57 left in the contest. Milwaukee then persevered the Gopher attack for the last minute as Schneider was kicked out of the match after being issued a red card.

"I was really pleased with the team's attitude all match long," Moynihan said. "This was by far our most spirited effort of the season. We kept pressing offensively and we looked to score all night. That is something we haven't seen on a regular basis but hopefully it will continue."

UWM will resume it's weekend homestand versus Big Ten competition on Sunday (Oct. 13) when the Bagders of the University of Wisconsin come to town. The in-state matchup is set to begin at 12 p.m. at Engelmann Field.