Every year we participate in the Milwaukee Cup. It is a round play tournament we co-host with Marquette. Two teams come to town and play both us and Marquette, with the team with the best record being named the champion.
The first game for us was Ohio State. We had just come off a good win against UW and beating another Big Ten team would be nice. As of now we were ranked 31st and a win here would certainly help us move up.
We came out strong in the first 10 minutes, maintaining possession in their half. However, they proved to be dangerous and did threaten our back line as time went on. The game ended 4-3 in one of the more exciting games that has taken place on Englemann field.
Keara Thompson not only played the game-winning through ball to Sarah Hagen to get a penalty kick drawn, but she also scored a goal and was involved in the build up to another goal scored by Laurel Ragalie. Nicole Sperl was the only non-freshman to score--performing under pressure and finishing a PK in the last minutes of the game to give us the win.
To put the goals in order (in the past we would only score one goal and would be a lot easier for me to keep track!): Ragalie started it off with a goal in the first half, then Keara's goal off a free kick from Sperl, Hagen had our third goal, then finally when it looked like we would head to overtime, there was the PK finished by Sperl.
I don't mean to exclude Ohio State's effort and three goals, but we have been scoring so much it is easy for me to forget about them. They proved to be dangerous and got behind our back line, capitalizing twice with shots beating, who in my opinion is, the best keeper in the Midwest--Erin Kane. The rounded off their attempt to catch up with our freshmen scorers with a free kick just outside the penalty box and to the right (keeper perspective). We had a wall of five, it was direct kick, and hit right over our heads and dropped an inch or so from the near post. A nicely hit shot--3-3.
I got to say if I was Ohio State I would have been very excited at this point, patting each other on the back, proud that they didn't give up. Ha! Twenty seconds later their goal keeper was on the line as the ref blew her whistle for Sperl to take a PK... 4-3. Glory Milwaukee.
Friday- Milwaukee Cup Day 2 - Samford
Many people don't know much about Samford, except that they have been to the NCAA Tournament the last two years, which is a big deal. Also winning the Milwaukee Cup another year in a row is a big deal to us as well. So taking Samford lightly was not the case.
We came out and before the clock could say 1:00, Hagen scored at 59 seconds, great hustle and pressure by Erin Kreuser and another finish by Freshman Hagen. The two weren't done yet... After a close call, Samford was rewarded a P.K. soon after Hagen's first goal to tie 1-1. Like I said however, Erin and Hagen weren't done and Kreuser attacked the end line and layered the ball back for Hagen to add another goal 2-1 at halftime.
Samford, either tired or feeling defeated, came out on their heals at first and we dominated much of the second half. Kreuser, my player of the match, again got behind their defense to the end line sent a cross in, came right to me without a defender near by--3-1.
Editor's Note: For some reason Kate doesn't go into nearly as much detail on her own goals as everyone else's. When Kreuser sent the ball to Kate, she stopped the ball and hit a rocket upper 90 to beat a 6-foot-3 goalkeeper. It was a nice goal.
We pounded them more as the second half went on, unfortunately not adding to our lead, but instead motivating them perhaps. They proved to have a little more in the tank, building on a poor back pass on our part, forcing a turnover. Their player then beat a center back on the dribble and knocked the ball into the back of our net--3-2.
At this point, Sammy Vovos a freshman from my hometown got her first regular season minutes. Almost as fast as Erin Kresuer, she pressured the keeper and apparently scared the poor girl because the ball rolled under her foot from a back pass and into our goal.
Thank you for letting the ball go in because that gave us the Milwaukee Cup! Marquette also won both games, so it went to goal difference and we won out with that extra goal from Samford.
Two years in a row, Milwaukee Cup winners. Next game and biggest rival, Marquette, Wednesday at their place!
