Champs! - Women's Soccer Wins Conference Tournament Championship 4-2 In PKs Over #2 Ashland

OVERVIEW – G-MAC CHAMPIONSHIP vs. No. 2 ASHLAND

SCORE: Northwood Timberwolves 0 (4), Ashland Eagles 0 (2)

RECORDS: Northwood (15-3-3, 12-1-1 G-MAC), Ashland (17-0-3, 11-0-3 G-MAC)

LOCATION: Dean Field – Midland, Mich.

RECAP: Women's soccer completed the double Saturday (November 10), claiming the Great Midwest Tournament Championship with a draw versus No. 2 Ashland and 4-2 victory in penalties.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Teams battled to open the match. Northwood had the edge 5-4 in shots and 2-1 in corner opportunities going into the half.
• Both teams' goalkeepers stole the show in the second half. Five saves apiece proved that their scoring on either defense had to be the perfect opportunity.
• Freshman Lindsay Jacob took over at the end of regulation. An Ashland penalty kick with just 35 seconds left in regulation gave the Eagles the chance to steal the match. AU's penalty taker tried to score on the right corner, but Jacob's instincts took over saving NU's chances of forcing overtime (OT).
• The final seconds would wane away in regulation as teams were forced to play two overtime periods. In the first, neither team was able to manage a shot in the first OT.
• In the second OT, the score remained 0-0 to force the match to penalty kicks (PKs)
• Ashland was granted the first PK opportunity, but Jacob came up clutch, yet again, denying the Eagles' first attempt. 
• Katie Foster put NU up 1-0 in PKs before Jacob denied the second straight Eagles PK to open the shootout. 
• Northwood would not be denied as Kendall Buchman, Juliana Paoletti, and Mia Thomson put the nail in it, capitalizing on the first four PKs to claim the match 4-2 in PKs.
• Hannah Jatczak, Katie Foster, Paoletti, and Stephanie O'Keefe were named to the G-MAC All-Tournament team following the match. Jacob was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for her 8-save performance.
• "It's a culmination of showing up, working hard, and doing things the right way", said the 2023 G-MAC Coach of the Year, Michael Korhonen, following Northwood's first-ever conference tournament championship. 
• With her seventh shutout of the season, Jacob has set the program record for shutouts in a single season.

 GAME STATS

• Shots: Northwood 11 (9), Ashland 16 (8)
• Saves: Northwood 8 (Lindsay Jacob), Ashland 9 (Maddie Dolenga)
• Corners: Northwood 6, Ashland 3

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Jacob: 8 Saves

UP NEXT

• Women's soccer earns an automatic bid into the 2023 NCAA DII Women's Soccer Tournament. They find out their opponent and destination during the NCAA selection show on Monday, November 13 at 6:30 PM ET on NCAA.com.
• 56 teams will qualify for this year's NCAA Tournament, with the top eight teams from the Midwest Region earning a berth. Postseason action of the NCAA tournament will begin on November 16-19 with the first and second rounds on 16 different campuses across the United States.