In its Big Ten conference opener, Nebraska soccer faced a 2-0 deficit against Minnesota entering the final ten minutes of play. Instead of throwing in the towel, the Huskers equalized the score with two goals in five minutes to draw with the Golden Gophers, preserving their undefeated season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re here to win, we’re here to fight,\u201d junior midfielder Ella Rudney said postgame. \u201cDon’t ever count us out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Minnesota got off to an early start, scoring on a left-footed strike to the top right from sophomore forward Caroline Birdsell less than a minute into the match.<\/p>\n
Nebraska fought back and came close to equalizing with a close header from Rudney in the eighth minute and another close opportunity from junior Reese Borer in the 19th minute. The Golden Gophers added to their lead in the 23rd minute off a goal from junior midfielder Kate Childers.<\/p>\n
Chasing the lead, Nebraska finished out the first half with four corner kicks and five shots. Minnesota outdid the Huskers in time of possession and shots on target during the first half, but Nebraska outshot the Gophers 10-8.<\/p>\n
For the first part of the second half, the Huskers\u2019 bad luck on the attacking end continued, with a blocked shot from freshman midfielder Ellie Felt in the 71st minute and a saved Rudney shot a minute later. Freshman forward Charlie Wistrom added an on-target shot in the 76th minute.<\/p>\n
Despite their match-long scoring difficulty, Nebraska’s efforts paid off with six minutes left on the clock, with graduate forward Reagan Raabe scoring off a right-footed rocket to the bottom right of the net from the top left edge of the penalty box off a long ball from Rudney.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe worked that at practice, switching the field on the diagonal,\u201d Rudney said postgame. \u201cI got the ball from, I think, Reese (Borer) off the throw, and I know (Raabe) was going to be wide and I trust her to score, and she did just that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rudney said that the goal was crucial in winning back momentum.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo (to) one is the most dangerous score in soccer,\u201d she said. \u201cOnce we got that, we were like, \u2018hey, we’re in, let’s go.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Two minutes later, Rudney chipped in the Huskers\u2019 equalizer on a cross from senior midfielder Saide Waite.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just made a near post run because we’ve actually been working on (it),\u201d Rudney said postgame. \u201cSadie played a really good ball and I just stuck my foot out and I went in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nebraska senior goalie Cece Villa recorded two saves. During the second half, the Huskers improved their possession time to 53%. The two sides committed a combined 25 fouls on the night.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went in at halftime and we were like, \u2018This is our game, we must come back\u2019\u201d Rudney said postgame. \u201cWe put in a lot of work over the summer at digging deep, and we really did that today.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the draw, Nebraska’s record moves to 5-0-3. Next week, the Huskers will look to carry their momentum into matches at Penn State on Sept. 18 and at Ohio State on Sept. 21.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re starting Big Ten play,\u201d Rudney said postgame. \u201cWe got the result, we’re still undefeated, we’re here to win.\u201d<\/p>\n