Oregon State
Seattle
Miller's Last Minute Goal Gives Beavers Double OT Victory over Seattle U.
September 16, 2012 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 16, 2012
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OREGON STATE NIKE INVITE
Senior midfielder takes pass from teammate Brandi Dawson and puts the ball in the net during the 109th minute
CORVALLIS, Ore. – It almost took Oregon State and Seattle the full 110-minutes but thanks to senior midfielder Megan Miller, the Beaver women's soccer team pulled out a 1-0, double-overtime victory against the Red Hawks Sunday at Lorenz Field.
Miller's goal at the 108:48 mark broke the 0-0 tie and sent Beaver fans into a frenzy as OSU notched their fourth consecutive victory and improved to 8-1-0 on the year. With the loss, Seattle dropped to an even 4-4.
The match started out with both teams trading shots and each goal keeper being tested early on. OSU goalie Audrey Bernier-Larose, starting in her fourth match this season saw six shots come her way in the first half, with a total of three that she made saves on. The Beavers also had their fare share of chances during the contest's first 45-minutes, with an additional six shots from OSU strikers and a pair of saves by Red Hawk goalie Brianna Smallidge.
The Beavers and Seattle began the second half both trying to break the scoreless stalemate, but each goalie would come up with clutch saves down the stretch. First it was OSU forward Jenna Richardson who fired a shot on goal in the 49th minute, only to be stopped by Smallidge. Just two minutes later Bernier-Larose would be tested as she made a great stop on a shot by SU midfielder Melissa Busque.
Both goalies took turns making saves throughout the rest of the second period until the second to last minute of regulation, when Red Hawk midfielder Taylor Bolibol took a shot, looking to put her team on top, but it was Bernier-Larose who made the diving stop to preserve the tie and send the Beavers' to their first overtime of the season.
Defense continued to be the theme in the first overtime as Oregon State managed just three shots, none of which made it to the goal, while the Red Hawks lone strike ended up being tallied as a save for Bernie-Larose.
Another 10 minutes were put up on the board to begin the second OT, and the Beavers were determined not to let their final non-conference match end in a tie. The OSU offense fired off a total of five shots during the match's final nine plus minutes, with Smallidge making a pair of saves, but it wasn't until the 109th minute, when the day's first goal would be scored. That's when Miller took a pass from teammate Brandi Dawson and kicked it into the top right corner of the goal, eluding Smallidge for the winning score. The sudden death goal was Miller's third of the year and sparked the ensuing victory celebration.
The trio of goals for the Oregon State senior gives her a team leading 10 points on the season and puts a lot of momentum on the Beavers' side, heading into Pac-12 play next week.
The first conference match for Linus Rhode and his crew is scheduled for Friday, Sept 21 at 7:30 p.m. on Lorenz Field. It will be OSU's only match during a 10 day stretch before a road trip to play Stanford and California during the final weekend of the month.
POST MATCH QUOTES
OSU Head Coach Linus Rhode
On the victory…
“We were playing well and had plenty of chances. We had something like 26 shots but that is soccer for you, so we are happy that the last one went in. This game, even though it was double-overtime , I think is a good test for us because we haven't had any overtime games yet. To battle through and take it down to the very end is something that is good to experience now because if it happens during conference, than at least we've gone through that experience once before.”
On the game-winning goal…
“I think it was a good play down the wing and then we had a good service in. Brandi (Dawson) had to do what she did because she couldn't head it in. There wasn't much she could do with it other than protect the ball and I think she had a good presence of mind to see Megan (Miller) kind of hovering around the top of the 18-yard box. It was a good layoff and a great finish as she (Megan Miller) buried that shot with full confidence.”
On his team's play during the non-conference schedule…
“I think we have definitely made a lot of strides. We started off the season not getting off a lot of shots. We were solid defensively but I think now we're more aggressive in the attacking third and creating a lot more opportunities, while our defense is still outstanding. Both sides of the ball are starting to come together nicely for us going into conference.”
On the play of goalie Audrey Bernier-Larose…
“Audrey has been great and we are fortunate right now to have two outstanding goal keepers. Today Audrey proved once again that she can get the job done. She made some great saves, both spectacular and standard, which gives everyone in front of her the confidence to know that when she is called upon she will get the job done.”
Senior midfielder Megan Miller
On the game-winning goal…
“It was Brandi (Dawson) and Jenna (Richardson) and they were against about five Seattle U. girls so it was like a big tussle. They (Seattle) left the top of the 18-yard box wide open and I was just screaming for it from Brandi, so she just set it up perfectly for my left foot and I hit it far post.”
On how she felt once she saw the ball go into the net…
“I was so tired but I think I celebrated like a six-year old to be honest. Just jumping up and down while being bombarded by my teammates, it was a really great feeling to be that person today.”
On the start of Pac-12 conference play next weekend…
“I am really excited. Things have been pretty interesting across the Pac-12 during non-conference play, so I am excited to see how we will match-up. Each game is important and we are going to start next weekend with Utah.”
Junior goalie Audrey Bernier-Larose
On how the Beavers were able to pull out the victory…
“Everybody kept the ball and working hard. They believed that we could win this game even though it was really hard. After the game we had on Friday (against Gonzaga), everybody was kind of tired and their legs weren't as strong, as if we hadn't been playing. The fact that we kept believing and wanting to win was great.”
On her confidence heading into overtime…
“I really had a positive feeling about this game because I had a strong team in front of me so I did not have any doubts that we could win this game.”
POST MATCH NOTES
--OSU now moves to 5-2-1all-time against Seattle U., with a 2-1-0 record against them in Corvallis.
--Beaver head coach Linus Rhode won his 57th career match during his four plus years in Corvallis, putting him just two-dozen away from tying Steve Fennah (81) for the all-time program lead.
--Goalie Audrey Bernier-Larose made a career high eight saves Sunday vs. Seattle, surpassing her previous high water mark of six, which she recorded against UC Irvine earlier in the year.
--Megan Miller has now scored a goal in three consecutive matches, dating back to OSU's win against Cal Poly last Sunday in San Luis Obispo.
--Miller has a team leading 10-points on the season, with three goals and four assists… All four of her assists and one of those goals and have either led to match tying or go-ahead scores.
--Oregon State has had winning streaks of five and four thus far in 2012… they had just one 4-match winning streak last season, which stretched from Sept. 16-30, 2011.
--Sunday's match was OSU's first regular season double-overtime match since they tied with Oregon in their regular season finale of 2011 (Nov. 4).
--The last three double-overtime matches for Linus Rhode and his crew have come at Lorenz Field, with Sunday's being the only Beaver victory.
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