The Post Is Finally Kind To Cobbers
MOORHEAD, Minn. (10/18/11)—The post was finally kind to Concordia. Sarah Rounds had a shot in overtime against St. Olaf carom off the post and bounce right to freshman Rochelle Hickerson who calmly buried the ball into the back of the net to give the Cobbers a huge 1-0 win over the Oles.
The victory vaults Concordia all the way into second place in the league standings and keeps CC in the hunt for their fourth MIAC regular-season title in the past six years. The Cobbers are now 5-1-3 in conference play and one point behind league-leading St. Ben's. CC is now 9-1-4 overall and remains the only team in the MIAC to have fewer than three losses on the year.
Much of the game on Tuesday was dictated by a blustery north-to-south wind. Concordia went with the wind in the first half and posted a 6-1 edge in shots. The Cobbers had a pair of quality chances in the first 45 minutes while St. Olaf's only shot was a golden opportunity on a breakaway. Despite going against the wind in the second half, the Cobbers maintained a slight advantage in shots and time of possession. CC outshot the Oles 4-2 in the second period but could never get on the board.
With the score tied at 0-0, Concordia was pushed into their second straight overtime game at home. Unlike Saturday's contest against Bethel, when a Rounds shot hit the post and stayed out of the net, this time her shot ended up with a positive result.
The overtime period could have been over less than 1:10 before Hickerson's fateful goal. St. Olaf forward Catie Christoffel was able to fight her way behind the Cobber defense at the top of the penalty area but her ensuing breakaway shot was smothered by CC goalie Ali Nelson.
Concordia then moved the ball into the St. Olaf end of the field where Rounds was able to beat an Ole defender on the left wing and turn the corner and go to goal. She dribble the ball until she was six yards out from goal and fired a shot towards the near post. The ball hit the inside of the post and ricocheted towards the middle of the penalty area where Hickerson knocked it home for the game winner. It was Hickerson's first collegiate goal and continued CC's mastery over the Oles at home. Concordia is now unbeaten against St. Olaf in the last 11 games played in Moorhead. For Rounds it was her team-leading 23rd point of the season. She now has 87 career points in her two-plus years at Concordia.
The Cobbers held an 11-4 edge in total shots for the game and a 7-2 margin in shots on goal. The Oles held a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Nelson finished the game with two saves and earned her eighth shutout of the season. She also lowered her season goals against average to 0.65. Nora Forbes stopped six shots in the game.
Concordia will now head west to California for a pair of games over mid-semester break. The Cobbers will play Chapman College on Saturday, Oct. 22 at noon and then square off against UC-Santa Cruz on Monday, Oct. 24 at 3 p.m. Both games will be played at UC-Santa Cruz.
