A favorable three-game homestand to begin the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference season only netted the University of Minnesota Duluth four points during its first week of league action. The Bulldogs used goals by sophomore midfielder
Emily Hinz and junior defender
Lizzy Fontes to spark a two-goal rally in the second half, forcing a 2-2 tie Sunday afternoon against Concordia University, St. Paul. The Bulldogs have scored 10 of their 11 goals in the last 45 minutes of regulation this season.
Windy conditions pushed much of the action towards one side of the pitch. All four goals scored in the game came from the east end of the playing surface. UMD, who went 459:19 minutes without trailing in regulation, fell behind when the Golden Bears (3-1-1, 1-0-1 NSIC) scored just 9:14 minutes into the game. Concordia St. Paul cashed in again 25 minutes later giving them a 2-0 cushion going into the half. Coach
Greg Cane made some halftime adjustments pushing his veteran defenders up into the play. Cane slid juniors Fontes and
Madison Carey up as midfield attackers and senior
Emily Fleissner up to center midfielder from her center back position. The rearrangement worked in the Bulldogs (4-1-1, 1-1-1 NSIC) advantage as CSP only registered two shots on goal in the last 65 minutes as they mounted their comeback.
With under 25 minutes remaining, the right foot strike from Hinz close to 30 yards out found the back of net. Later, Hinz would be the contributor to the game-tying knocker nine minutes after her first career goal and points. The St. Louis Park, Minn., native lofted a ball into the box and Fontes was able to head the ball past the keeper to square the action at two apiece. In the extra sessions, the Golden Bears and Bulldogs each piled up a shot on goal but nothing came of it as the deadlock continued through all 20 minutes.
UMD finished with 17 shots, eight on goal. Hinz, Fontes and junior
Natalie St. Martin each registered two shots on net. Junior goalkeeper
Carlye Wright (1-0-1) made five saves on the Bears' 14 total attempts. Fleissner ans senior forward
Skye Finley were the only players for UMD to play in all 110 minutes. Freshman defender
Jenna Eichten played a career-high 50 minutes off the bench.
The Bulldogs will play next Friday as it travels to Minnesota State University Moorhead (1-2-2, 1-1-1 NSIC) in the rigorous portion of its schedule with four of the next five games away from Malosky Stadium.
