MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Junior Madison Kaufmann (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) scored the golden goal in the 102nd minute as the Northern Illinois University women's soccer team defeated Marquette, 2-1, in double overtime on Friday night (Sept. 20) at Valley Fields. 

Junior Haley Hoppe (Austin, Texas/Rouse) had given NIU the lead in the 76th minute and an 87th minute goal from Marquette forced overtime before Kaufmann's first career goal two minutes into the second extra period gave NIU the victory. 

"I'm definitely pleased with the fight that we showed today," said NIU head coach Julie Colhoff. "We went into the game with the mindset that it was going to take work and discipline the whole match and I think, for the most part, we delivered on that. We let it slip for a bit when we let them back into the match, but what was great to see what the mentality of our group, I don't think we ever wavered, we knew we were going to win and find a way to make it happen."

The first good chance of the match fell to Marquette in the 29th minute as Alex Campana got in behind the NIU defense and collected a long ball from the back, firing a shot from about eight yards that NIU junior goalkeeper Megan Donnally (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) was able to parry away for a corner. 

The Golden Eagles had another chance off a corner kick in the 36th minute as Bri Jaeger's back post header was pushed away by Donnally. 

Marquette (2-6-0) goalkeeper Mel McNamara was called upon for the first time in the 39th minute as she collected a flicked header from Hoppe. In the final minute of the opening half, Hoppe had the best chance by either side to open the scoring as her header off a corner kick was cleared off the line by a leaping Natalie Yass for Marquette to keep the match scoreless at the interval. 

Early in the second half, Hoppe created a Marquette turnover and looked to be in on goal in the 53rd minute before a Golden Eagle defender was able to recover and deflect her shot away for a corner. 

Just before the hour mark, Hoppe had another dangerous header off a free kick from senior Jennie Nailor (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Hoffman Estates), flicking the ball just over the crossbar with Maddy Henry, who had come on at halftime for Marquette in goal, stranded off her line.

Marquette's first good chance of the second half came off a free kick from midfield as Donnally was able to deny the chance from Campana in the 66th minute to keep the contest deadlocked. 

NIU (2-3-1) finally opened the scoring in the 76th minute as Hoppe gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead. Hoppe's initial header off a free kick took a deflection and Henry came to claim it off the deflection, but she couldn't beat Hoppe to the rebound as the Huskie junior was first to it and rolled the ball into the open goal to put NIU in front. 

With Marquette pressing for an equalizer, Hoppe almost doubled the NIU advantage as she burst past a pair of Golden Eagle defenders into the box in the 81st minute, but Henry was able to make the save and keep Marquette within a goal. 

Three minutes from full time, Marquette levelled the match through Macey Shock. The Golden Eagles had a free kick just outside the box and Donnally did well to get down to her left and stop the initial shot, but Shock was first to react to the rebound, slipping it past the NIU goalkeeper to even the scoring in the 87th minute and send the match into overtime. 

In the first overtime, Donnally stopped a Marquette chance in the 98th minute and, a minute later, sophomore Kylee Hermeyer (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) had a go from distance that was held by Henry as the first 10-minute period ended with the Huskies and Golden Eagles still tied.  

The second overtime only lasted 112 seconds but it was all action from the start. Marquette took the kickoff and Shock forced a good save from Donnally with her feet. The Huskies came right back the other way and Hoppe powered her way past a Marquette defender to make room for a shot but Henry palmed it away for a NIU corner. 

Marquette half-cleared the Huskie corner but freshman Isabella Sabo (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc) collected the ball on the right wing and sent in a low cross that looked to be deflected by freshman Allison Whitaker (Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf) just ahead of Henry and into the feet of Kaufmann who finished to give the Huskies the victory. 

Donnally made seven saves in goal for the Huskies, Henry stopped a pair of shots in the contest for Marquette. 

NIU will return to action on Sunday afternoon, September 22, as the Huskies host South Dakota State at the NIU Soccer Complex. Admission to all Huskie soccer games is free of charge.