GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The University of North Dakota soccer team completed a weekend sweep of its series with Kansas City (4-8-1, 4-7-1 Summit) with another come-from-behind win at Bronson Field, equalizing in the 79th minute before a
Megan Wright penalty kick in the 92nd minute on Senior Day.
The victory put the Fighting Hawks back at .500 on the season and in Summit League play. With 15 points in the standings, UND currently sits sixth in The Summit League behind North Dakota State (18 points) and South Dakota (16 points).
With only two weekends of the regular season remaining, the Fighting Hawks will battle with South Dakota State and USD in the coming weekends to battle for top-four in the standings for a Summit League Tournament berth.
North Dakota set the tone early by controlling possession and testing KC goalkeeper Mackenzie Caldwell, placing four of its 11 shots in the half on frame. UND hit the woodwork twice in the first half, ricocheting a shot off the crossbar and pinging another off the post for goal kicks.
Ending the opening period scoreless, the Roos did not take long to break the matches scoring drought as Rileigh Kuhns posted up UND keeper
Madi Livingston and heading a ball off her hands to give Kansas City a 1-0 lead in the 54th minute.
With the same urgency it possessed on Friday, the Fighting Hawks regained its dominance on the ball, winning 50-50 chances and turning them into through balls for its wingers and forwards.
In the 79th minute,
Ashley Ebeling dug the ball out from the foot of a KC winger on the ground and punched the ball through the collapsing defense to
Hannah Olson. The West Des Moines, Iowa native took a heavy touch into the 18-yard box and swam her way past the defense, where Caldwell attacked the ball on the ground.
With Olson coming to pressure the gather, Caldwell missed the loose ball. The defense attempted to clear the threat with a chipped ball, which landed at the feet of winger
Lexi Miller, who curled her second touch under the bar to equalize the match, 1-1.
Twenty-four seconds into overtime, the Fighting Hawks earned a corner kick, sending in an out-swinging ball into a group of Hawks and Roos players. The ball pinged off the hand of KC midfielder Kuhns to award the Hawks a penalty. Wright stepped up to the penalty spot and fooled the keeper into stepping the opposite way while sliding the ball into the side netting for the golden goal.
UND will play its final road matches of the season next weekend when it heads to Brookings to take on South Dakota State on April 2 and 4.
