DEKALB, Ill. – Sophomore Trudy Quidzinski (Green Bay, Wis./Notre Dame Academy) netted three goals as the Northern Illinois University women's soccer team played to a 4-4 draw against Louisiana-Lafayette on Friday night in the home opener at the NIU Soccer Complex. 

Quidzinski's hat trick was the first by a Huskie since Anne Mucci scored three goals against Eastern Michigan on October 16, 1998 and is just the eighth hat trick in NIU school history. Quidzinski's three goals were all part of a thrilling final 21 minutes of regulation time that included five total goals, with a tying goal by ULL in the final seconds. 

"I think the key for us is putting together a full performance, which we have yet to do," said NIU head coach Julie Colhoff. "Each of the last two games we have given up a goal in the first three minutes, so that is a major piece that we have to get right. The thing we did show was the ability to comeback from down two goals, go ahead, and then unfortunately let them back in.

"Now we can never use the excuse that we aren't capable of coming back and scoring goals. Trudy (Quidzinski) with a hat trick, that is a great individual performance, (Hannah) Kroupa, getting her first goal, those are positive things. As a group there were really good moments, as well as things we definitely need to work on."

The Ragin' Cajuns opened the scoring less than three minutes into the contest as Katherine Whitman got on the end of a cross from Rachel Sutter to finish at the back post and give Louisiana-Lafayette the early lead. 

Neither team scored during the remainder of the opening 45 minutes but the Ragin' Cajuns doubled their advantage less than five minutes into the second stanza. Karleen Bedre slotted a ball into the run of Telly Vunipola who scored from about eight yards out to give Louisiana-Lafayette a 2-0 lead in the 50th minute. 

NIU cut the ULL lead in half in the 62nd minute as freshman Hannah Kroupa (New Berlin, Wis./New Berlin) scored her first collegiate goal. Quidzinski played the ball toward Kroupa who curled a shot past a diving Mackenzie Lee in goal for the Ragin' Cajuns to cut the lead to 2-1. 

The Huskies pulled even in the 69th minute when Quidzinski scored her first goal of the contest. NIU earned a free kick just about 20 yards from goal and to the left of the top of the box. The sophomore from Green Bay, Wis., fired it directly on frame, powering a shot past Lee to level the match. 

In the 78th minute, Quidzinski struck again to give NIU a 3-2 lead. Dribbling toward goal, Quidzinski cut to her right near the top of the box and whistled a shot back across goal, beating Lee for her second goal of the contest. 

Louisiana-Lafayette tied the game back up in the 84th minute as the Ragin' Cajuns earned a corner kick. Sutter took the corner for ULL and Gwen Mummert rose highest at the back post to power a header past NIU sophomore goalkeeper Julia Lentz (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) and tie the game, 3-3. 

It took the Huskies just 91 seconds to go back in front on Quidzinski's third goal of the night. Collecting on the right wing, Quidzinski swung a ball dangerously toward the back post, over the goalkeeper and into the net before a helpless ULL defender could get a head on it, giving the Huskies a 4-3 lead in the 86th minute. 

The Ragin' Cajuns evened the contest again, 4-4, with just three seconds remaining in regulation. After NIU was whistled for a foul about 30 yards from goal, the referee stopped the clock to allow the free kick to be taken. Mummert lofted the ball into the box where Alex Augustyn was the first to react and poke home a goal in a scramble inside the six-yard box to level the match. 

NIU and Louisiana-Lafayette combined for just three total shots in the 20 extra minutes as neither team could find a winner in overtime. 

Lentz finished with four saves between the posts for NIU while Lee also made four stops in goal for ULL. 

The Huskies will return to action next weekend when they hit the road for a pair of games, beginning on Friday, September 6 at Illinois State before visiting Western Illinois on Sunday, September 8.