Samantha Porter of NU and Corban's #13 Randi Donahue battle for possession.
Johnson Keys Northwest Win With Hat Trick
KIRKLAND, Wash. - Northwest University sophomore Acacia Johnson scored three goals to lift the Eagles over Corban, 4-1 in a Cascade conference game this afternoon. Johnson scored in the 4th minute and twice in the second half to notch the hat trick.
Johnson scored got the Eagles started early as she knocked in an 8 yarder off the dribble from the right side just 3:41 into the game. That would be the scoring as NU would hold on to a slim, 1-0 lead going into halftime. Then, in the second half, Johnson took Lindsey Field's cross from the right side and drilled her second goal in from 9 yards out on the left at the 51:39 mark. Her final goal came in the 65th minute as Annie-Brynn Stauffer centered the ball from the left side of the goal to the middle where Johnson finished from 8 yards out.
Corban got their lone goal of the game when Emily Tsugawa scored at the 67:09 mark as she lifted 20 yard shot over the outstretched hands of NU goalie Patty Hughes from just left of middle. The final score came off an inadvertent own goal by Corban as they attempted to clear the ball away from the goal mouth following an NU corner kick.
Northwest's (2-8-2, 1-1-1 CCC) goalkeeper, Patty Hughes made three key saves in the game preventing Corban goals. She turned away Tara McDonough's 20 yard blast in the 30th minute, saved a 10 yard free kick of Emily Tsugawa's, and stopped Dani Buechley's 15 yarder from the left side in the 41st minute. Hughes made 5 saves on the day. Alexis Beattie had 4 saves in goal for Corban (6-5, 1-2 CCC) Beattie made a great save on an Acacia Johnson shot which would have given Johnson her fourth goal. Corban outshot NU 18-13 and held the edge in corner kicks, 7-5.
"The team carried out our game plan today and started strong," commented Erin NU head coach. "Lindsey Field and Acacia Johnson had break out performances and changed the game. The team played for each other which will carry us through anything. I'm really proud of them."
Northwest resumes play tomorrow afternoon at home against Northwest Christian at 3:30 p.m. in the second game of a doubleheader. The NU men play Corban University at 1:00 p.m. The Corban women travel to Olympia to play Evergreen on Saturday.