Box Score
MADISON, Wis. - Two nearly identical goals inside the first nine minutes of the game was all Edgewood College needed to earn their first Northern Athletics Conference win of the season. The Eagles' goals came just 1:14 seconds apart and the defense held on the rest of the way for a 2-1 victory over Concordia University Wisconsin.
The Falcons back line of defense drew three offside calls on Edgewood College (5-1, 1-1 NAC) in the first five minutes of the game. However, it was the same line of defense that would ultimately Concordia Wisconsin moments later. First, the Eagles' Janna Yost picked up a ball near the midfield stripe and sent it through to Molly Haertle who timed her perfectly to stay onside. One-on-one with Falcon goalkeeper Mary Ryan, Haertle veered right and shot back to the left, banking the ball off the post and into the net for the first goal of the match and her fourth this year.
Barely more than a minute later, Clare Schumacher and Elaine Gerry duplicated the feat. Schumacher's pass found Gerry who held off a pursuing Falcon defender and buried a shot past Ryan for a lightning fast 2-0 lead. The goal was Gerry's second of the season.
Concordia Wisconsin (2-2, 1-1 NAC) would get one goal back before halftime. Lauren Straehler measured a 30-yard free kick and nailed it under the crossbar behind Edgewood College goalkeeper Kristi Frisch.
The second half featured more of the Edgewood College frontline of Haertle, Gerry and Kristina Santaga attempting to use their speed up front, and the Eagle defense attempting to keep the Falcons in front of them in the back. The Falcons' best chance to equalize came in the final 10 minutes of the game. In one stretch Renee Hecker took three consecutive corner kicks for the Falcons, but those tries only amounted to one shot. Frisch only made two saves for the match, but the Falcons had a number of strong shots miss just wide.
Edgewood College faces their first road test on the NAC schedule this Saturday with a game at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois.
