Contact: Adam Poklop, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

Box Score

Sept. 16, 2018 - Entering Saturday's contest on a four-game win streak, the North Central women's soccer team saw their magic run out against the Nebraska Wesleyan University Prairie Wolves, who hung on to win 3-2 after some failed late-game heroics by the Cardinals.

The Prairie Wolves leaped to an early lead in the 24th minute when Suzie McDonald fielded a cross just outside the box and lofted a shot into the upper corner, beyond the reach of Cardinal goalkeeper Gretchen Frantz. Their lead was short-lived, however; the Cardinals answered just six minutes when Allyson Viederis headed Sara Sheridan's corner kick into the back of the net.  

The game remained tied 1-1 until Prairie Wolves regained control of the lead in the 58th minute, after capitalizing on a penalty kick they were awarded following a Cardinal foul in the box. Once more, the Cardinals found an answer, this time courtesy of freshman midfielder Bri McAloon, who blasted a rebound past Wesleyan keeper Sarah Scholl in the 76th minutes to bring the Cardinals even the score

The final blow came in the 82nd minute, when the visitors' scored again to take a 3-2 lead and leaving little time on the clock. But the Cardinals didn't go down without a fight. With under thirty seconds of play left, the Cardinals came within inches of tying the game when Lexi Dimovski ripped a shot that beat Scholl, only to ricochet off the crossbar and get cleared by the Prairie Wolves defender.

"You have to give credit to Nebraska Wesleyan—they were dangerous on set pieces and found the net when they needed to. I'm really proud of our team tonight: this group has really impressed with their spirit and willingness to continue to battle. Last year, we weren't that team, and it's amazing the difference a year makes," said head coach Andrew Gamarra.

Sheridan and McAloon both tallied their first points of the season. Dimovski led all players in shots, taking seven and landing three on goal.  

"It was great to see Sara Sheridan and Bri McAloon on the board. They did a terrific job for our middle today. It was unlucky that Lexi didn't finish one today, but she's so dynamic that we know those shots are dropping any other day," said Gamarra.

North Central (4-2) travels to Dubuque, Iowa Tuesday, Sept. 18 for a non-conference showdown with Loras College (4-2). Game time is set for 5 p.m. Live stats can be found HERE.