Sept. 2, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Matt Eliason couldn't have picked a better time for his first collegiate goal. The freshman created a turnover near midfield and then raced in for the game-winning goal 19 seconds into overtime as the 14th-ranked Northwestern men's soccer team topped Bucknell 2-1 Sunday afternoon as part of the Lakeside Classic.
The victory helped the Wildcats finish as the champions of the Lakeside Classic after previously topping Colgate 3-0 Friday. Northern Illinois defeated Colgate 2-1 in overtime in Sunday's first contest.
Bucknell jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute as Mark Schmiegel played a through ball from Conor O'Brien and was able to find the net to put the Bison ahead.
The Wildcats knotted the score at the 40:54 mark on an unassisted goal by Carl Pett, his second of the season. A collision left Bucknell starting goalkeeper Joey Kuterbach on the ground and the net wide open, allowing Pett to put home the tying goal.
The two teams recorded six shots apiece in the opening half of play before Northwestern played the role of the aggressor following the intermission. Though the Wildcats were unable to take the lead in the second half, they held an 8-1 edge in shots over the second 45 minutes of play.
Eliason wasted little time in sending away the home fans happy in the first extra session. He created a takeaway in front of the Northwestern bench, made a move around one defender and beat Dimitrios Telonis with just 19 seconds elapsed in overtime.
"I thought in the second half we started to assert ourselves," Northwestern head coach Tim Lenahan said. "Bucknell is a very good team. They were the champions of their league a year ago, advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament and returned 10 starters. You have to credit them for really making us work.
"The beginning of the year is about banging out some results and we're happy to come away with two wins against two solid opponents."
The Wildcats will return to action next Friday and Sunday when they compete in the Yale Soccer Classic in New Haven, Conn.