MADISON, Wis. – A shootout between two of the highest scoring teams in NCAA Division III materialized just as many expected it would. In the end, though St. Norbert College outscored Edgewood College 5-4 in a wild home opener for the Eagles at Breese Stevens Field. Edgewood College rallied from a three-goal halftime deficit, before the Green Knights scored the game winner with less than five minutes to play.

Edgewood College (1-1) wasted little time igniting the fireworks. Senior Elaine Gerry slipped free just 54 seconds into the game and buried a breakaway goal into the low left corner past St. Norbert College goalkeeper Sarah Platzer. The goal gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead and marked Gerry's 77th career goal, moving her past MSOE's Jessica Axt for the all-time Northern Athletics Conference goal scoring record. On Friday, Gerry had passed Axt for the all-time NAC points record with a goal and an assist against St. Mary's (Minn.)

St. Norbert College (2-0) has a super scorer of their own in Katie Vanden Avond. Vanden Avond who scored four goals in the Green Knights season opener at Lakeland College tallied twice in less than two minutes. First was a header off a Jaci Kulow corner kick in the eighth minute, followed by an impressive dribble sequence through the Eagles defense and a shot past Edgewood College goalkeeper Kristi Frisch in the 10th minute.

Two more minutes later, Kaitlyn Schmitz took advantage of a defensive miscue in the penalty area and deposited the ball into an empty net for a 3-1 Green Knights lead. At the 18th minute, another Kulow corner kick resulted in a volley off the knee of St. Norbert's Zoe Kurth and St. Norbert held an ominous 4-1 lead.

Edgewood College needed a spark in the second half, and got it from senior Kristina Santaga. When Platzer and a Green Knight defender failed to communicate at the top of the penalty area, the ball slipped through the keeper's legs where Santaga jumped on it for an easy finish in the 53rd minute. Three minutes later, a corner kick from Ashley Alonso was popped out to the penalty arc. Brianna Franken kept the ball in with a side volley to the left of the net, where Santaga lunged and poked it inside the post. The Eagles were back in the game at 4-3.

Santaga would then set-up the game-tying goal in the 69th minute. The Green Bay native beat her defender in the corner and dribbled up the end line to the left of the net. From there she drew out Platzer and delivered a pass to Gerry who was crashing in to the middle of the net. Gerry redirected the ball off her shin for the equalizer.

Both teams traded jabs for the next 15 minutes, but it was Vanden Avond who threw the knockout punch. With five minutes to go, the sophomore split the Eagle defense and chipped a shot over the sliding Tori Fortney who came on to replace Frisch. The shot nestled in the back of the net to give Vanden Avond a hat trick and the Green Knights the victory.

Edgewood College pick themselves up and take to the road for their NAC opener on Wednesday. The Eagles travel to Milwaukee to face Wisconsin Lutheran College with a 7:00 p.m. kickoff.