Final Stats
TOLEDO, OH - The Toledo women's soccer team battled Miami to a 2-2 double overtime draw on Friday afternoon at Scott Park. UT junior Candice Choquette tied the match at two apiece in the 84th minute, which sent the game into overtime. With the tie, the Rockets' record moved to 3-5-3, 2-0-1 in the league, while Miami's mark moved to 4-5-1, 1-1-1 in the MAC.
"Miami is a very talented team," Toledo Head Coach Brad Evans said. "They were extremely dangerous at times and disrupted a lot of what we tried to do out there today. I give them a lot of credit. I also thought we had our chances and today kind of showed that we have a veteran team and had enough to get that game-tying goal late."
The Midnight Blue and Gold looked good at the start and few would have thought that they would need a goal late to stay in today's match. The home team exploded out of the gates and scored their first goal within the first two minutes off their pressure deep in Miami territory. Sophomore Annie Sullivan had the ball down the right side and she crossed it into the middle of the Miami goal box. One of the RedHawks' defenders made an ill-advised pass that UT senior Diana Ginley stole and she quickly slid a shot past goalkeeper Krista Pace for her third-goal of the season to give the home team a quick 1-0 lead.
"Our players started today's match well prepared and we were able to take advantage of a mistake in Miami's defensive third," Evans said. "To be fair, though, it is easier to do that at home rather than on the road."
The Rockets had another quality scoring opportunity in the 36th minute to put some distance between themselves and Miami. Freshman Heather Wesley was open at the top of the Miami goal box and she fired a low shot that Pace made a diving stop on to keep it a one-goal contest at the intermision.
To start the second half, Miami came out the aggressor and had a golden chance in the 52nd minute, but an offsides call deep in the UT goal box ended the threat.
The visitors kept on the offensive attack in the final 45 minutes of regulation and it paid off big dividends in the 74th minute. Off a free kick from about 35-yards out, Miami's Kate Padfield played a beautiful ball into the middle of the UT goal box and teammate Jackie Hardek got her head on it and deflected it in the goal for the equalizer.
Just over two minutes later, the Redhawks struck again, as the MAC's leading scorer Kathleen Visitica placed a cross into the middle of UT's goal box into heavy traffic. The ball somehow got deflected right to Jodi Zwingelberg, who was able to finish it for the goal and give Miami the 2-1 edge.
"Miami got into a groove in the second half and scored a pair of goals before we could even blink," Evans said.
The Rockets, who were playing without three-year starter on defense Sarah Hazenfield due to an injury, did not panic and tied the score on Choquette's second tally of 2006. Also off a corner kick, UT freshman Molly Cornwell made a cross into the middle and the ball looked like it was cleared off a header to the 18-yard line, but the Naperville, IL native used a volley shot and perfectly placed it into the upper right corner of the goal to tie the score at 2-2 and send the game into overtime.
"Candice stepped up her game today and very calmly put that shot away when we needed it," Evans said. "She is a good player and that is what good players do."
The Rockets would have their opportunities in the overtime periods to come away with the victory, posting five shots on goal and a corner kick.
UT senior goalkeeper Jen Whipple made four saves to earn the draw, while Pace had three stops for the RedHawks.
The Rockets return to action at home on Sunday, Oct. 1 for a match against Ball State beginning at 1:00 p.m.
TOLEDO 2, Miami 2 (2OT)
UT: D. Ginley (Unassisted), 1:13
MIA: J. Hardek (Padfield), 74:59
MIA: J. Zwingelberg (Visitica), 77:03
UT: C. Choquette (Unassisted), 83:42
SHOTS: UT 16, MIA 13
SAVES: UT 4, MIA 3
CORNER KICKS: UT 8, MIA 10
FOULS: UT 8, MIA 9
