Sept. 1, 2009
Box Score
GREEN BAY, Wis. -
Junior forward Matt Eliason (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East) netted a pair of goals and No. 9 Northwestern twice held two-goal advantages but was unable to hold on in settling for a 3-3 season-opening tie at Green Bay Tuesday evening.
The Wildcats led 2-0 at the half and 3-1 with under 20 minutes remaining, but the Phoenix rallied back to earn a result. Neither team was able to tally the winning goal in either of the two 10-minute overtime periods.
Eliason got NU on the board first at the 28:23 mark as he took a feed from Oliver Kupe (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) and put the ball in off the right post. The reigning first-team All-Big Ten selection stretched Northwestern's lead to 2-0 10 minutes later as he notched an unassisted tally. The two scores raised Eliason's career total to 19, moving him into a tie for eighth place in school history.
Senior goalkeeper Misha Rosenthal (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep), who missed the majority of the preseason due to injury, came up with four saves over the opening 45 minutes of play to hold the Phoenix at bay heading into the intermission.
The hosts would eventually get on the board at 68:48 as JC Banks was able to notch a goal. However, only two minutes later, Piero Bellizzi (Rye, N.Y./Rye) got Northwestern its two-goal lead back thanks in part to Kupe's second assist of the night.
Green Bay wouldn't go away, though, getting a goal from Scott Raymonds and then the equalizer from Francois Basty with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Rosenthal made five saves in the second half and then one more in the second overtime period to finish with a career-high 10 stops.
The Wildcats out-shot the Phoenix 3-0 and earned a corner kick in the first extra session but was unable to post a game-winner. Green Bay had the only two shots in the second OT, including one on goal, and NU had two more corner kicks before the teams settled for the draw after 110 minutes of action.
Northwestern returns to action at 1 p.m. Monday for its home opener against DePaul at Lakeside Field.