Box Score
MADISON, Wis. - After playing a scoreless 45 minutes against the wind in the first half, the Edgewood College women's soccer team must have felt they had Aurora University right where they wanted them. When the teams changed directions, Tammi Hagensick found the back of the net in the 58th minute to give the Eagles a 1-0 victory and a share of the Norhtern Athletics Conference lead.
With a chilly west wind blowing over the field, Aurora chose to play with the wind in the first half. Eagle fans got an early wake-up call in the third minute when Aurora's Rachel Bentsen entered the game and rang a shot off the right post. Aurora University (14-5, 10-1 NAC) had the better of the chances through the first fifteen minutes, but Edgewood College found success controlling the ball through the rest of the half to go to the locker room scoreless.
In the second half, Edgewood College (15-3, 10-1 NAC) attempted to use the wind to their advantage and it paid off eight minutes after the break. Elaine Gerry took a shot which was turned back by Spartan goalkeeper Jenny Jarvis. After a brief scramble, the Spartans appeared to have cleared the ball to safety as the ball arrived at the feet of Hagensick 30 yards out from the net. As the Spartan defense attempted to push themselves out of the box, Hagensick launched a shot which, with a little boost from the wind, cleared the head of a back-peddling Jarvis and nestled into the upper right corner of the goal.
Aurora spent the rest of the second half pushing into the wind and into the Eagle defense, but couldn't find a clean shot on goal. In fact, the Spartans managed just three shots after Hagensick's score, and only one of those was on goal. For Aurora it was their first loss to an NAC foe since the birth of the league in 2006. They had won 33 straight conference matches and four consecutive NAC Tournament matches.
Edgewood College goalkeeper Ilana Bar-av ran her streak to 537:03 without allowing a goal. Bar-av now has seven shutouts on the season and the Eagles have won six straight via the shutout, by a combined score of 23-0.
With the victory Edgewood College and Aurora are now tied atop the standings heading into the final NAC match of the regular season. If the Eagles defeat Concordia University Wisconsin on Wednesday, October 29, they will clinch at least a share of the NAC championship and the top seed for the NAC Tournament.
