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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 1998)
ABOVE: NU SOCCER COACH JOHN WALKER embraces Becky Hogan after the triple overtime win Friday against Texas A&M. Hogan scored the winning goal in sudden-death. RIGHT: THE NU WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM hoists the Big 12 Tournament Trophy after defeating the Missouri Tigers 4-0 in the final Sunday in San Antonio. The Huskers captured their second tournament title in three years. The Golden Goal Story and Photos by Matt Miller lurn of tuck for Hogan leads to Big 12 title for NU SAN ANTONIO - It was an improbable goal. On Friday night, the Nebraska women’s soc cer team was tied with rival Texas A&M after more than two hours of play in a Big 12 Tournament semifinal. The Huskers were playing a player down because junior forward Lindsay Eddleman, the team’s second-leading scorer, had been ejected from the game after two yellow cards. The Big 12’s leading scorer, NU senior Kim Engesser, hadn’t gotten a shot off the entire game. The Aggies were out-shooting Nebraska nearly four to one. Still the Huskers were hanging tough in the chill and drizzle that night. In the 125th minute of sudden death in the third overtime, freshman Meghan Anderson sent a comer kick into the box. Senior Becky Hogan knocked the ball off the side of her head. It bounced into the net. The Huskers won 3-2. “That goal was so perfect,” Hogan said. “I knew where (the ball) was going. I was tired. I took two steps and just stuck my head out.” Hogan wasn’t accustomed to scoring this season. The senior had racked up just one goal before Friday night. She even admitted her job was to run and create, not to score. Other players such as Eddleman and Engesser could handle the scoring. In fact, Hogan’s goal was the first she had ever scored off her head during her four years at Nebraska. “I’m not too good with the ol’ noggin,” she said. One of her teammates said Hogan was so unlucky, she couldn’t score on an open net. During her freshman year, Hogan’s shots bounced off crossbars 21 times. Hogan’s poor play throughout the game Friday made her game-winning score even more unlikely. “I played horrible,” she said. “As far as con tributing to our success, I didn’t do much.” After scoring the winning goal, Hogan ran to midfield, where she was mobbed by teammates. A few moments later, some degree of sanity was restored, and the team retreated to the chang ing tent to put on some dry clothes. THE HUSKERS dribble the ball in a tight group during warm-ups Sunday before the final game. Not Hogan, though; she wanted to savor the evening. With a Texas-sized grin, she moved around the field, bouncing from hug to hug. She still wore her wet shorts and jersey. Her ear bled from where the ball hit, but she didn’t even notice. “Nobody is going to believe I scored,” she said. She was right. Two days later, many of Hogan’s friends and family were incredulous. When she told them about her best goal, their first reaction was, “No way.” But the moment was real, and Hogan will rel ish it. “It was really emotional because Texas A&M is a huge rival. It was sudden death. It was the Big 12 Tournament. It was my senior year. “It is one moment I can keep.” SENIOR FORWARD KIM ENGESSER scored two goals in the second half of the championship game Sunday. Although Engesser scored twice, she was not named to the All-Big 12 Tournament team. For more photos, see the Daily Nebraskan Online at http://www.unl.edu/DailyNeb/stories/llll98/soccerpics.html