Quincy, IL – The Hawks entered Sunday's (Mar. 16) match up against the Golden Bears of Concordia University, St. Paul, facing a tough challenge. Both teams arrived with a 4-3 record, setting the stage for a tightly contested game. The battle was fierce, ultimately pushing into overtime, where the Hawks secured a thrilling 14-13 victory with a decisive final goal.
The game began with the Hawks on their back foot, as the Golden Bears quickly put up three unanswered goals. It wasn't until the four-minute mark that Perrilynn Cory ignited the Hawks' offense, flipping one into the back of the net. Amelia Ham followed up with a strong drive from up top to add another goal, but the Golden Bears responded with two more, closing the first quarter with a 5-2 lead.
In the second quarter, the Hawks found their rhythm. Madison Whiting Wagner recorded her 100th career save, setting up a clear that led to Alaina Wilkinson scoring. Ham rebounded from a previous miss to notch another goal, but the Golden Bears fought back with two of their own. The Hawks answered with three more before the half. After a caused turnover by Mikenna Ham, Jenna Lang pushed the ball into the offensive zone, setting up Emily Leal for a precise shot into the top left corner. Another caused turnover from Mikenna Ham led to a quick-stick goal by Leal off a pass from Amelia Ham. With just three seconds left in the half, Leal capitalized on an 8-meter free position shot, tying the game at 7-7.
The second half allowed the Hawks to take control. After a back-and-forth battle in the midfield, Ham once again assisted Leal, giving the Hawks their first lead. A draw-control win by Leal set up a man-up opportunity, where Wilkinson drew a foul and converted from the line. Later, Wilkinson fed a perfect pass to Moran, who fired a rocket into the net. The duo connected again minutes later, bringing the Hawks to an 11-9 lead by the end of the third quarter.
The Golden Bears came out strong in the final quarter, refusing to back down. The Hawks struck early with Leal scoring another free-position goal, followed by Moran finding the net off a pinpoint assist from Ham. However, the Golden Bears chipped away at the lead, eventually tying the game with an unassisted goal in the final two minutes, sending the game into overtime.
In overtime, the Hawks locked in. Whiting Wagner came up with two crucial saves before launching the ball up field. After a clear attempt, the ball found its way to Ham, who, with little to no angle, fired a game-winning shot to seal the Hawks' victory.
Leal led in goals with 5, Amelia Ham topped the points chart earning 6, Whiting Wagner recorded 5 ground balls and 9 saves, and Mikenna Ham forced 3 turnovers.
The Hawks will return to action on Thursday, April 3, at 4:00 P.M., when they travel to Ottawa University to take on the Braves on their home turf.
