GAMEDAY CENTRAL
NAIA #4 Embry-Riddle (13-2-1) at #2 Northwood (13-1-1)
DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013
CITY: West Palm Beach, Fla.
SITE: Arrigo-Veccelio Field
START: 2 p.m.
SERIES: NU leads 16-11
LAST MEETING: NU def. ERAU 3-2 (OT), Oct. 11, 2013
LIVE STATS: Stretch Internet
THE MATCH-UP
Wednesday's regular season championship game is between the winners of The Sun Conference's North Division, Embry-Riddle and South Division Champions Northwood. The power match-up features two top-five teams as Northwood is ranked second national at 13-1-1 and Embry-Riddle is the No. 4 ranked team with a 13-2-1 record.
QUICK HITS
• The Eagles and the Seahawks are meeting in The Sun Conference regular season championship for the second straight year
• The last seven conference regular season and/or tournament titles have been won by either Northwood or Embry-Riddle
• The conference regular season champion will receive the league's first automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship
• The last three meetings have been decided by one goal, and the last two contests between Northwood and Embry-Riddle have gone to overtime
ABOUT THE EAGLES
The Eagles advanced to Wednesday's regular season championship game with a 4-2 victory over Thomas on Oct. 26. The Eagles were led by senior
Valerie Obita whose hat trick improved the Eagles overall record to 13-2-1 and wrapped the Blue and Gold's second divisional title at 8-1. The three-goal performance helped Obita ascend to the top of the Eagles' all-time scoring chart with 70 career goals.
LAST TIME OUT
The fourth-ranked Embry-Riddle women's soccer team closed out the 2013 regular season slate as the North Division champion in The Sun Conference with a 4-2 victory over No. 22 Thomas (10-5, 7-2) on Saturday. Saturday was also the final regular season home game for seniors
Rebekka Gisladottir,
Valerie Obita,
Martine Olsen,
Tova Torstensson and
Brianna Zangara, who helped the Eagles improve to 13-2-1 overall and 8-1 in league play.
Gisladottir, Torstensson and Zangara anchored an Eagle defense that allowed Thomas just four shots in the game. The two most prolific scorers in ERAU women's soccer history, Obita and Olsen powered the Eagles' offense, with Obita tallying three goals and Olsen adding a goal and an assist. Going into Saturday's game, Olsen held the Eagles' all-time scoring record, but with her first two goals, Obita took over the lead. Olsen's score put the duo level again, but Obita's last goal of the day put her back on top with 70 career goals to Olsen's 69.
The Eagles wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, registering their first goal of the game on their first possession just 1:42 into the game. Isabella Haaranen collected the ball and dribbled down the right side. She squared a short pass to Obita who registered her 14th goal of the year to put the Eagles up 1-0 early.
The Night Hawks responded less than three minutes later by netting their first goal of the night when Emma Hewett collected a pass from Alyssa Denton and chipped ERAU goalkeeper
Olivia Lynch to level the score at 1-1.
In the 11th minute,
Katherine Ebbs played a ball from the midfield out to Haaranen on the right. Haaranen raced down the right flank and this time took the ball into the box herself. Thomas goalkeeper Deanna Rivet came off her line to bother Haaranen's shot but couldn't hold on to the ball.
Gudrun Johnson then attempted a back-heel shot, but it only went as far as a Thomas defender who touched the ball into Obita's path and the senior deposited the ball in the upper netting to reclaim the lead for the Blue and Gold.
After the early flurry of goals, both teams settled into more of a possession game for the rest of the half. The Eagles had an 8-4 advantage in shots and a 4-3 edge in shots on goal, including a Haaranen shot from point-blank range, but Rivet up with a big save to keep the Eagles from adding to their tally. Lynch also turned back a couple of Thomas shots and, as a result, the score remained 2-1 at the intermission.
The start of the second half saw the Eagles have the better of the offense, while the ERAU defense limited the Night Hawks to just two shots in the frame. With just under 12 minutes left in regulation, the Eagles broke through for their third goal of the night. Obita's cross went across the face of the goal toward the far post. A Thomas defender was able to bring the ball down but pushed it into the path of Olsen who took a couple of touches to move the ball onto her left foot and slipped a shot under a diving Rivet to extend the Eagle lead to 3-1.
Moments later, Olsen returned the favor. Playing in the Eagles' defensive half, Olsen seized an opportunity to get in behind a high Thomas defense and released Obita with a ball from the midfield, putting her in a one-v-one situation with Rivet. Obita won the battle and completed the hat trick on her eighth shot of the night to make the score 4-1 in the 80 minute.
With under four minutes left, the Night Hawks managed to capitalize on the Eagles inability to clear the ball out of danger as Hewett found Hannah Claesson for the final goal of the night.
ABOUT THE SEAHAWKS
Matt Dunn is in his third season as the Seahawks' head coach. Currently ranked second in the national coaches' poll, Northwood won The Sun Conference's South Division with a 9-0 record and come into Wednesday's game at 13-1-1.
Three-time Sun Conference Player of the Year, Helen Lynskey, is Northwood's leading scorer with 18 goals on the year, while Johanna Engberg has added 14 scores and is tied with Lynskey in assists (8). Mathilda Ojaniemi has anchored NU's goalkeeping duties with 29 saves and a 1.06 goals against average.
THE ERAU-NU SERIES
Tonight's game marks the sixth time that Embry-Riddle and Northwood have faced each other as ranked foes in women's soccer. Northwood is 16-11 all-time against the Eagles. The last meeting between the two teams was on Oct. 11, 2013 when the Seahawks edged the Eagles 3-2 in overtime.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
The last meeting between the Embry-Riddle and Northwood women's soccer teams came on Oct. 11 when it took overtime to decide the outcome of the match as Northwood got two goals from Helen Lynskey in the 3-2 win.
The match-up between two top-five teams, who also happen to be conference rivals, promised to be a good one and the fans in attendance were not disappointed. The first half saw a back-and-forth battle with Northwood holding a 4-3 edge in shots, but it was the Eagles who broke through for the first score of the contest.
The play started with
Katherine Ebbs' diving play to save ball from going out of bounds. She managed to get it to
Martine Olsen who played a quick ball to
Valerie Obita streaking down the left side and the ERAU senior hit a low cross toward the far post where Andrea Froshaug was on hand to tap in her fifth goal of the season in 22nd minute.
With just over 21 minutes left in the second half, the Seahawks were awarded a free kick. Maria Tornqvist took the free kick from about 25 yards outside the penalty area and lofted a ball into the box where Lynskey headed it just out of ERAU goalkeeper's
Olivia Lynch's reach to pull Northwood level.
The score remained tied until the 79:23 mark when the Eagles pulled ahead once again. A long throw by
Dana Robins landed inside the penalty area where Olsen managed to flick it into the danger zone inside the six-yard box. A pair of Northwood defenders went to ground in an attempt to clear it, but the ball made its way to Obita and the senior tucked a shot into the bottom of the net to reclaim the Eagle lead.
As the clock ran down, it appeared the Eagles would take the win, but with 1:13 left on the clock, the Seahawks equalized again as a missed Eagle clearance on a cross by Louise Anderson ended up in the Eagle net. The own goal made the score 2-2 and sent the game into extra time.
With just under three minutes remaining in the first overtime period, the Seahawks were awarded another free kick, very close to the spot that led to their first goal. This time Lynskey took the set piece herself and buried a shot in the upper right corner to give Northwood the win.
RAISING THE BAR
Valerie Obita and
Martine Olsen have established themselves as two of the most prolific offensive players in ERAU women's soccer history, and have traded the all-time scoring title back and forth all season. Obita currently tops the Eagles' all-time scoring list with 70 career goals, while Olsen has 69. Olsen is the Eagles' all-time leader in game-winning goals, and Olsen (166) and Obita (164) rank first and second, respectively in career points.
ERAU Women's Soccer Individual Records
EMBRY-RIDDLE BY THE NUMBERS
2 - NAIA National Quarterfinal Appearances
3 - Conference tournament titles held by ERAU Women's Soccer
4 - Current rank for ERAU Women's Soccer in NAIA Top 25 poll
5 - Seniors on the 2013 roster
9 - NAIA National Tournament Appearances
16 - Goals by
Valerie Obita in 2013
62 - Wins amassed by the 2013 senior class
70 – Career goals by
Valerie Obita, an ERAU all-time best
91 - Wins by Head Coach
Samantha Bohon, now in her seventh season with ERAU
106 - All-time conference wins by Embry-Riddle
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
After being ranked at No. 6 in the NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches' Preseason Poll, the Eagles have climbed to the No. 4 spot in the national ranking. Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, the Eagles have notched wins over No. 5 Lindsey Wilson, No. 1 Concordia (Ore.) and No. 9 William Carey.
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