GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - Phoenix sophomore Megan Braatz (Waukesha, Wis.) recorded
a pair of goals and a pair of assists in Green Bay's convincing 4-0 victory
over Northern Iowa Friday night at Santaga Stadium. With the win, Green Bay
moves to 2-1-2 on the year, while the Panthers fall to 0-5-0.
"It
was a great performance by our girls tonight," Phoenix head coach Trevor Warren said. "We worked all week
on creating better chances so we could get some better looks at the goal and it
just happened for us tonight. We were finally able to find the net and it felt
great."
Braatz put the Phoenix on the
board right before halftime in the 44th minute when she beat a Panthers
defender at the top of the box and struck the back of the net from close range
on the right side.
"Megan showed a lot of composure
on that first goal," Warren said. "That was a really important goal right
before halftime. It kind of settled us down a little bit and set the tone for
the rest of the game"
Braatz netted her second goal in
the 58th minute when junior Laura Hamer (Blaine,
Minn.) made a nice pass from the left side to find her sophomore teammate, who
then slotted the ball past UNI freshman goalkeeper Erin Zaideman.
Braatz rounded out her six-point
evening by assisting on Green Bay's final two goals. In the 63rd minute, Braatz
made a pass from the left corner to classmate Chanel Aries (Calgary, Alberta), who then found freshman Ahna Logan (Roseville, Minn.) for a
long range goal from straight on. In the 83rd minute, Braatz nearly tallied her
third score when she blasted a shot on target from the left side. The ball
ricocheted off a Panthers defender to freshman Ella Bump (River Falls, Wis.), who knocked it home for Green Bay's
fourth goal of the night.
"Megan had a great game," Warren
said. "We were hoping she was going to get the hat trick. She had a good chance
late in the game but the defender made a nice play to block it and it went
right to Ella who was able to smack it in for her first collegiate goal."
The Phoenix defense earned its
fourth shutout in five games this season and has given up just one goal thus far
in 2010. Junior goalkeeper Maddie Drusch
(Appleton, Wis.) tallied her fourth shutout, moving her league-leading
goals-against average to in impressive 0.19.
Green Bay out-shot Northern Iowa
19-10 in the contest, including a 12-5 advantage in the second half. The
Phoenix had eight shots on goal in the match, while the Panthers managed three.
The Phoenix is back in action on
Sunday when it hosts South Dakota State at 1 p.m. at Santaga Stadium. The match
wraps up Green Bay's three-game home stand, as the Phoenix hits the road for
four straight games following the bout with the Jackrabbits.
