TOLEDO, OH - Toledo scored four goals after the intermission and coasted to a 4-0 victory over Northern Illinois (4-4-0, 0-0-1 MAC) on Friday in its Mid-American Conference opener at Scott Park. With the win, the Rockets improve to 5-2-2 (1-0-0 MAC) on the season.
UT controlled a majority of the action against its MAC West Division foe and finished with a sizable 20-3 edge in shots. Eleven different players recorded a shot against a pair of NIU goalies, including a team-high five off the foot of freshman Nicole Gyurgyik.
The Rockets wasted little time setting the tone of the match and had a quality scoring opportunity on a shot by freshman Rachel MacLeod at the 1:46 mark. The first-year player received a nice cross from junior Kristen Lynn and promptly blasted a shot that went wide of the target.
Neither squad generated many scoring chances over the next 25-plus minutes, until UT's Gyurgyik came within inches of putting the home team on the scoreboard at 28:32. The Rockets' forward snuck in behind the NIU defense on the right side and fired a shot that slid just wide of the mark and kept the score tied.
UT's Gyurgyik then had the only other real scoring opportunity in the opening stanza with just over eight minutes remaining. She accepted a pass from senior Sarah Blake out wide and cut toward the middle of the pitch, creating some free space for herself. Gyurgyik took a low shot that NIU goalie Amy Carr made a nice diving save on to keep the score tied 0-0 at the intermission.
The home team started the second half the same way it began the first, but this time it really paid off. MacLeod made a long run down the right side and attempted to cross the ball into the middle of the Northern Illinois goal box. Fortunately for the Rockets, an NIU defender tried to clear the ball off the goal line and out of danger, but accidently tapped it in the net for an own goal at 46:09.
The Midnight Blue & Gold kept up the offensive pressure and doubled its advantage less than 10-minutes later on MacLeod's third goal of the season. She made a couple nice moves with the ball at the top of the NIU goal box and perfectly placed a shot into the back of the net at 52:27.
Sensing the Huskies were discouraged after giving up the two goals so close together, the Rockets went for the jugular and received a penalty kick at the 55:50 mark. UT senior Brittany Hensler was taken down from behind inside the Huskies' goal box to set up the PK. Toledo's Lynn, who had already made two PK's this season, stepped up to take the kick, but NIU's Carr made an acrobatic diving save to keep the difference at 2-0.
Toledo just had too much firepower down the stretch, though, and its third goal came on freshman Emily Tustin's first collegiate goal at 66:03. The score was setup on a good series off passes from Gyurgyik to Flynn and eventually onto Tustin down the middle of the pitch for the score.
UT then finished off the scoring at the 84:00 mark on freshman Anndrea O'Leary first collegiate tally. Classmate Ashley Ross made a long run down the right side and passed the ball into the middle of the NIU goal area to O'Leary, who promptly tapped it into the back of the net.
Between the posts, junior Vicki Traven was not really tested and made only one save to record her third shutout of the season. As a unit, UT has given up only one goal over the last three matches.
The Rockets return to action on Sunday, Sept. 26 when they host MAC West Division foe Western Michigan. The opening whistle is slated for 2:00 p.m. and the contest will be televised live on the Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN).
TOLEDO 4, Northern Illinois 0
UT: Own Goal (Unassisted), 46:09
UT: R. MacLeod (E. Flynn), 52:27
UT: E. Tustin (E. Flynn, N. Gyurgyik), 66:03
UT: A O'Leary (A. Ross), 84:00
SHOTS: UT 20, NIU 3
CORNER KICKS: UT 3, NIU 2
SAVES: UT 1, NIU 5
FOULS: UT 6, NIU 7
