Story by NU Athletic Communications
Behind two finishes by Eleanor Dale and a pair of assists from Sarah Weber, the Nebraska soccer team defeated Northwestern 3-2 on Sunday afternoon.
The Huskers improved to 8-2-3 (2-1-2 Big Ten) on the season, while the Wildcats fell to 7-3-3 (1-3-1 Big Ten) on the year.
The Huskers started the match aggressively, and Dale sparked the offense with her NCAA-leading 16th goal of the season. In the 29th minute, Anglim sent a free kick into the goal box which was headed by Sarah Weber to Dale who sent the ball into the back of the net off her own header.
Just 62 seconds later, NU tallied another finish as sophomore defender Briley Hill netted her first career goal off an assist from Gwen Lane. Hill gathered the cross from Lane, dribbled through the Wildcat defense and punched the ball past the diving Wildcat goalie for the score. The Huskers then continued to control the pace for the remainder of the first half and took a commanding 2-0 lead into the break.
To open the second half, Dale and Weber recorded shots, but Northwestern held much of the offensive momentum as Emma Phillips recorded a finish in the 71st minute. Then in the 84th minute, the Wildcats earned a corner kick and Phillips scored again off the assist from Meg Boade, but the 2-2 tie didn’t last long.
Less than a minute later, Dale was left unguarded just outside the goal box, and Weber sent a cross in, which Dale gathered and shot into the back of the net for the score. This finish marked Dale’s 17th of the season and sixth game winner.
The Huskers then kept the Wildcats scoreless for the remainder of the match and earned their second Big Ten road match of the season.
In the goal, senior Sami Hauk played the entire game, earned her 19th career win and tallied eight saves (48 on the year). Hauk was joined by defenders Lauryn Anglim and Nicola Hauk, midfielder Haley Peterson and forward Eleanor Dale who also played 90 minutes. Additionally, senior Gwen Lane recorded her first start of the season and recorded a team save in the 84th minute.
The Big Red returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 7 at home against Iowa for Senior Day. Action is slated to begin at 1:05 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.