Women's Soccer Scores Game

Sunday, September 21

Greeley, Colorado

2 pm

University of Northern Colorado

5-4-1

Bryant

2-8-0

OT 3

OT 4

BRYW

UNCO

9/21/2014 1:04:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

The Northern Colorado women's soccer team took on the Bryant University Bulldogs today in a double-overtime thriller.

By: UNCBears.com

UNCBears.com

GREELEY, Colo. - The Northern Colorado women's soccer team took on the Bryant University Bulldogs today in a double-overtime thriller. The Bears hit a season high in shots (23) and corner kicks (14).The high-powered offense earned a, 3-2 win with sophomore midfielder, Paige Morris heading-in the game-winner in the final minute of the second overtime.

In the first fifteen minutes of the match, the game went back-and-forth. Both teams earned two corner kicks, but neither team was able to take advantage of their opportunities.

The Bears had an opportunity in the 25th minute of the half when sophomore forward, Essence Ortiz-Laneir rifled a high-powered shot on-goal, but Bulldogs' keeper, Kaylan Conrad came up with a diving save to keep the game knotted at, 0-0.

The rest of the half the Bears were led by freshman forward, Brooke Braden who fired off six shots in the game, tying the UNC season high for shots by a player in a game.

"Tonight, we really played well," said Braden, "My teammates gave me great passes and opportunities and all I had to do was shoot."

Northern Colorado's defense continued to impress, not allowing a single shot on-goal in the first 45 minutes of play.

Both teams would head into the locker room with the game tied at, 0-0.

Bryant jumped on the scoreboard first, early in the second half. In the 48^thminute, forward Suzanne Sanders found an opening in the UNC defense and put it past sophomore goalkeeper, Kaitlin Ruff to take the, 1-0 lead.

Northern Colorado battled back in the 61^st minute of the match when freshman midfielder, Carolyn Cox netted her first goal as a Bear. Cox received the ball of a deflection and pounded it into the back of the net to even things up at one apiece.

The Bears continued their offensive attack, tallying three consecutive corner kicks after the goal.

In the 75^th minute, Bryant rebounded and took back their lead on another Sanders goal.

Sanders dribbled deep into the 18-yard box and launched a well-placed ball from the right side of the box, beating Ruff for her second goal of the game and giving Bryant a, 2-1 lead.

With just minutes to play, junior defender, Adrienne Jordan answered with the equalizer, sending the game into overtime. Jordan received the ball at her feet after the Bulldogs' Conrad punched it out of the box off the corner kick. Jordan quickly rested the ball at her feet and found the top right corner of the goal, to make it 2-2.

"We played a very good first half and it gave us some opportunities that we came up short on" said Head Coach Tim Barrera., "It was nice to see the girls fight back and continue fighting to give us a chance going into overtime".

In the first overtime, there would be very little offensive pressure from either team. It wasn't until the second overtime things begin to get interesting.

In the first 30 seconds of the second overtime, the Bulldogs would serve the ball into the 18-yard box, scoring a goal, only to be ruled offside. The Bears would gather themselves after the offsides call, marching right down the field to serve up back-to-back corner kicks. The Bears earned one last corner in the final minute of the match, when junior midfielder, Rebecca Lancia found Morris for the game-winning goal.

"Rebecca put a really great ball into the box and made it easy for me to score," said Morris "I am excited for conference play because we have been passing and controlling the ball really well as a team. I believe that will carry us far in conference play."

The Bears will begin conference play this week when they head to the University of Idaho to take on the Tigers for a 5:00 p.m. start time on Sept. 26.