Box Score MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The North Central University (NCU) women's soccer faced Crown College (CC) for the third time this season, looking to change the outcome of the previous games. It was a close Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) matchup that had the crowd on edge. After a buzzer beater goal that sent the game into overtime, the Rams were victorious over the Storm, winning 3-2.

Game Vitals

• Offensively, the number of shots for each team was fairly even with 20 for the Rams and 22 for the Storm.
• The fouls were lopsided as NCU had four to CC's 11.

Game Recap

The cohesiveness of the Rams showed from the opening whistle. NCU came out aggressive on the attack with lots of combination play early on that resulted in many scoring opportunities inside the box. A key to this movement started in the midfield with Isabella Connell (Champlin, MN, Champlin Park High School). It was Connell's first game back due to injury and she set the tone with her physicality and movement off the ball. CC chipped in a goal from outside the 18 within the first 15 minutes, but the game was only getting started. About five minutes before halftime, Hannah Grubbs (Mantua, OH, Newbury High School) responded with a left footed goal of her own slotted just inside the front post to tie the game.

The intensity of the Rams kept going up after halftime, even after a penalty kick goal from the Storm in the 51st first. NCU's forwards Leanna Kyle (Blaine, MN, Blaine High School) and Mia Wajda (Gejiu, China, Centennial High School) played high on CC's backline and had some amazing touches and passes to get in behind the Storm defenders. The last 20 minutes of the second half were dominated by the Rams. They generated lots of crosses, free kicks, and corners that were just shy of the net, until the last seconds of the game. Kara Lewis (Mandeville, LA, Northlake Christian School) played a free kick in from the wing and after a couple of deflections, the ball found its way to Grubbs' foot and into the net in the last second to send the game into overtime. Arien Fritts (Ham Lake, MN, Fritts Homeschool Academy) had some amazing saves for the Rams to keep them in the game in regular time and in overtime. NCU doubled down on defense and pressed on in the attack. The Storm's keeper ended up fouling Rachel Lampton (Lake Villa, IL, Lakes Community High School) in the box, resulting in a penalty kick for the Rams. Without hesitation, Lewis stepped up to the ball and calmly passed it to the left corner sealing the win for NCU.

Looking Ahead

The Rams look to ride of this win into their UMAC matchup tomorrow against the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM). The game is slated for a 1 pm start and will be at NCU. All fans are encouraged to follow official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for updates on the women's soccer team and much more information.