Tigers take No. 15 Aquinas to OT; but fall 1-0

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The Olivet Nazarene University women's soccer team dropped their home opener, 1-0, to the nationally ranked (No.15) Saints of Aquinas College played at the Snowbarger Sports Complex, on Saturday evening. The Tigers took the Saints to overtime before conceding from a corner set-piece.

The Tigers weathered the storm early as last season's NAIA All-American Honorable Mention Hannah Crum redirected an Aquinas service off the crossbar in the 7^th minute. Olivet got a boost off the bench with Teagon Albert's (SR/Grayslake, Ill.) playmaking ability. She created the Tigers' best opportunities of the half with Olivia Lorenc (FR/Bourbonnais, Ill.) and Emily Greene (FR/St. Anne, Ill.) unable to find the back of the net. The Saints could not open the scoring after a scrum in front of Samantha Tuuk's (JR/Tinley Park, Ill.) net with Abbey Cash (JR/Gardner, Ill.) blocking two of the Saints' shots on goal from within the six-yard box. Despite Aquinas outshooting the Tigers 11-3 in the first period, both teams went into the intermission scoreless.

Halftime: Aquinas College 0, Olivet Nazarene 0

Aquinas controlled the tempo for most of the second half while the Tigers looked to pounce on the break. Kelsey Bowling (FR/Wheaton, Ill.), Marissa Anderson (JR/Shorewood, Ill.), and Annabel Murley (FR/Valparaiso, Ind.) broke up numerous of the Saints' attacks which sprung the Tigers on the counter. The heat of the evening took its toll on both sides as the game wore on. Compared to the 14 total combined shots from both teams in the first half, only six total shot attempts combined were taken in the second. Neither team could find the energy at the end to find the back of the net in regulation. As a result, the Tigers and Saints headed to overtime with a 0-0 scoreline.

End of Regulation: Aquinas College 0, Olivet Nazarene 0

Aquinas drew 10 total corners throughout the match. It was their 10^th and final corner kick in the first period of extra time that ended the contest. Hannah Crum's in-swinging cross from her left boot found the head of defender Merin McDermott, which beat the Tiger's netminder.

FULL-TIME: Aquinas College 1, Olivet Nazarene 0 (1OT)

GAME VITALS

Final: Aquinas College 1, Olivet Nazarene 0

Records: Aquinas College 1-0 | Olivet Nazarene 0-1-1

Location: Snowbarger Sports Complex | Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, Ill.

QUICK HITS

• Tuuk recorded five saves.
• Cash tallied two saves off the line as a defender.
• Five different Tigers recorded shot attempts on the match.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Tigers will host the ONU Labor Day Classic next weekend. Their first of two matches will feature the University of Jamestown on Saturday, September 4 at 5:00 p.m., followed by No. 4 Marian University on Monday, September 6 at 5:00 p.m. Please visit onutigers.com for the most updated live links.

--ONU—

*Contact: Patrick Kaindl, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, pkaindl@olivet.edu