Sept. 13, 2009
DeKALB, Ill. -
In a battle of top-25 teams, Matt Eliason's second goal of the match with 1:19 remaining in the first overtime gave No. 22 Northwestern a 3-2 victory over 21st-ranked Tulsa Sunday afternoon at the adidas/Maguson Inn and Suites Invitational hosted by Northern Illinois University.
The win gave the Wildcats the tournament title by virtue of their 2-0 record on the weekend. NU also defeated Oakland 2-1 Friday afternoon.
The effort capped a stellar weekend for Eliason as he finished the tournament with four goals and raised his season total to a Big Ten-leading seven in just four matches. The performance helped him earn the invite's MVP honor.
The game-winner came when Lucas Swertloff served the ball to Eliason at the top of the box. With a defender on his back, the junior forward spun and ripped a rocket past Tulsa keeper Andy Aguilar to send the Wildcats home happy.
Northwestern improves to 2-1-1 on the season with the win, while the Golden Hurricane falls to 2-2-1.
The Wildcats had several near-misses in the early stages of the contest as Swertloff had a point-blank shot saved, while Piero Bellizzi and Oliver Kupe each had shots that were narrowly off the mark.
Northwestern would finally notch the match's first tally midway through the opening period. Kupe continued to display his terrific play-making ability as he found the endline and weaved his way around a pair of defenders before finding a wide open Bellizzi on the doorstep for his second goal of the season.
For Kupe, it was his Big Ten-leading fifth assist of the season as he has now contributed a helper in each of NU's four matches.
Tulsa would get back to even at 32:25 off a set piece as Cory Albertson's header off a corner kick from Chris Taylor snuck inside the near post.
NU was inches away from taking the lead with five minutes left in the half, but Jarret Baughman's volley off a service from Eamon O'Neill was denied on a diving save by Aguilar.
The Wildcats controlled the action throughout the opening 20 minutes of the second stanza and the pressure eventually paid off with 24:08 remaining. Mark Blades' service from the left flank forced a Tulsa defender to drag down a streaking Kupe deep in the box, resulting in a penalty kick. Eliason beat Aguilar on the PK to pick up his conference-best sixth goal of the year and third of the weekend to put Northwestern up 2-1.
Despite the 'Cats controlling the action, the Golden Hurricane was able to tie things up again with just over 15 minutes left. With Misha Rosenthal out of the net, Jose Parada was able to get off a header that snuck in below the crossbar.
The contest remained tied through the remainder of regulation before Eliason provided the heroics in the first extra session. NU finished the match with a 13-10 edge in shots and a 9-4 advantage in corner kicks.
Eliason was joined on the all-tournament team by Bellizzi, Kupe and Swertloff.
The Wildcats return to action at 7:30 p.m. Friday when they open play at the annual Lakeside Classic by taking on South Carolina. Admission is just $4 and the contest will be followed by a fireworks display. Northern Illinois and Lafayette meet up in the Classic's first match at 5 p.m.