Opsahl's OT Goal Keeps Playoff Hopes Alive for Gophers
TOWSON, Md. — The longer Goucher and Susquehanna remained deadlocked in a scoreless tie today, the closer the Gophers came to being knocked out of contention for one of the three berths in the Landmark Conference's upcoming postseason tournament that had yet to be filled. A tie was really of no benefit to head coach Tati Korba's squad; only a win would keep their playoff hopes alive.
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | OT2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Susquehanna
(1-13-2, 0-6 Landmark)
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Goucher
(6-9-1, 2-3 Landmark)
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Team Stats
Susquehanna
| Game Statistics | Susquehanna | Goucher |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 18 (7) | 18 (7) |
| Saves | 6 | 7 |
| Fouls | 14 | 12 |
| Corner Kicks | 2 | 7 |
| Offsides | 5 | 1 |
TOWSON, Md. — The longer Goucher and Susquehanna remained deadlocked in a scoreless tie today, the closer the Gophers came to being knocked out of contention for one of the three berths in the Landmark Conference's upcoming postseason tournament that had yet to be filled. A tie was really of no benefit to head coach Tati Korba's squad; only a win would keep their playoff hopes alive.
After being outshot 8-6 in the first 45 minutes of today's contest, the Gophers seemed to play with more of a sense of urgency in the second half. Still, at the end of regulation, both sides on the scoreboard were still showing zeros.
The first 10-minute overtime failed to produce a winner and the second extra session was showing all the signs of doing the same until Gaby Davis (New York, N.Y./LaGuardia) passed the ball ahead to Anja Opsahl (Silver Spring, Md./Montgomery Blair), who drilled a shot from the left side into the net at 107:55.
It was the freshman defender's first career goal.
Thanks to today's 1-0 victory over the Crusaders, the Gophers (6-9-1, 2-3 Landmark Conference) will clinch a spot in the conference tournament as the No. 4 seed provided they knock off Moravian next Saturday.
Susquehanna controlled play for much of the first half as goalkeeper Juliana Harkavy (Memphis, Tenn./Ridgeway) had to make four saves to keep the Crusaders (1-13-2, 0-6 Landmark) off the scoreboard.
Harkavy was tested only once in the second half and then turned away a pair of shots in the first OT as she finished with seven saves. In addition, she broke the school record for shutouts in a season that she and two other goalkeepers previously held as this was the seventh time in 2013 that she prevented an opponent from scoring a goal.
The Gophers, after being limited to three shots on goal during the 90 minutes of regulation and the first OT, unleashed six shots in the second OT. They also caught a break when the only shot the Crusaders attempted in the second OT banged hard off the crossbar.