The Nebraska women’s soccer team found themselves in a pressure-filled situation this past weekend as the team approached its matchup with Iowa State.
A win could move Nebraska as far up as third place, while a loss could drop them to the eighth spot, where they’d have to face a Missouri squad in the Big 12 Conference Tournament that took down the Huskers 5-0 last Sunday.
After giving up a goal in the second half to fall behind, NU rallied around the clutch play of its seniors on the squad and won the game on a header by senior Lauren Isenhower in the seventh minute of overtime.
Isenhower said the win puts the team in a good position heading into the conference tournament after wrapping up the fourth seed with the victory over the Cyclones.
“Our main focus today was on redeeming ourselves for a bad loss last weekend and making sure that we set ourselves up for the Big 12 tournament with a good seed,” Isenhower said. “Going down there with confidence is important, because on any day and any one play you can be in or out.”
NU assistant coach Wally Crittenden said facing a tightly-contested, must-win game isn’t just good for confidence – it’s also gives them a taste of what postseason play will be like.
“From this point on, everything we do is a postseason, win-or-go-home situation,” Crittenden said. “For us to go out and attack this game, even with emotion involved, as a lose-and-you’re-done type of game is a great test to prepare us for this week.”
After sophomore Molly Thomas took advantage of a short corner to tie the game, she sent a ball into the box where Isenhower connected on a header into the far corner of the goal to win the game. All of this came on Senior Day, where each of the six seniors was honored before the game and all of their numbers were painted onto the grass for the match.
“It’s more important that the team got the win,” Isenhower said, “But it was very nice that I got the chance to finish out my last home game with the game-winning goal.”
Crittenden said the emotions faced by the players in trying to win a crucial game on Senior Day is a good simulation of the emotions faced in postseason play, and how the team handled those emotions is a good sign for the team’s postseason future.
“There was definitely some emotion here today for our coaches and players,” Crittenden said. “It was good for the team to take that emotion and channel it into a good, hard-fought match that’s closely contested with something at stake.”
“Being able to face that kind of pressure helps because it is the same kind of thing we are going to face (in the Big 12 Tournament).”
The team’s first match of the Big 12 tournament will be Wednesday against Oklahoma State at 11:30 a.m. in San Antonio, Texas. The Huskers won their regular season matchup with the Cowgirls 2-0 at home and are looking to make a move in the conference tournament in their quest to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2005.
The win over Iowa State was the fifth time NU had faced overtime this season, but it was the first time the Huskers scored a goal in extra time.
Crittenden said the experience of playing in matches like that, as well as the work effort of the team puts them in a good position to handle postseason play.
“Another great thing about this team is that no matter the score, we fight to the end,” Crittenden said. “Every game is going to be a close game with a lot of pressure. The ability to compete up a goal or down a goal to sustain the effort is critical to be a successful postseason team.
“There is never a question of effort with this program,” he said. “If you have that stability and consistency in the level of effort, even if you don’t get breaks to go your way, you are still in every game.”
patradigan@dailynebraskan.com
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