After an extra 14 minutes of overtime play beyond the standard 90 minutes due to a frustrating 0-0 deadlock with Northern Athletics Conference opponent Wisconsin Lutheran, The Lakeland College women's soccer team finally got the result it had been seeking all game, as sophomore midfielder
Celine Elzinga found the back of the net on a breakaway to notch the 1-0 win for the Muskies (4-9, 3-3 NAC) on Saturday, Oct. 6.
"The other team pushed up really far, and it took two touches to get it to me," Elzinga said. "I went at the goal and told myself to remember to keep my head up and not to choke. It was the perfect shot, and I was really lucky to get it, but that's what we practice for."
Elzinga succeeded where her teammates met only frustration, as nearly every Muskie that took the field aimed at least one shot at the goal without success, racking up 25 shot attempts for the game to the Warriors' four.
"We started off really slow, but we stuck in and kept banging shots at them until they fell over and one went in," said head coach Dave Madsen. "I was frustrated that we had to go into overtime to win, but we found a way to win today and I give credit to the girls for sticking into it for that long.
The Muskies can also draw confidence from the fact that they have evened their NAC record back up to .500 and still have hopes of seeing games in the conference tournament.
"It's good to get another conference win and climb up the ladder a little bit more," Madsen said. "It's one step closer to getting us into the conference tournament so we can be playing our best soccer at the end of the season and have a chance to make a run at the championship."
Elzinga agrees, citing teamwork as a major factor in the Muskies' success.
"We're accomplishing our goals step by step," she said. "Getting the win today was the perfect situation with it being Homecoming and everything."
Lakeland continues NAC play with Milwaukee School of Engineering on Wednesday Oct. 10.
"They will definitely challenge us," Madsen said of MSOE. "But I think if we're able to play our style and assert ourselves from the start, we should be able to make a run at them."
Game time is set for 7 p.m. in Milwaukee, Wis.
