Great win for Augie, DIIIDad! Congrats!
Holy cow, what a game! 3-2 win in OT. I was afraid that Augie would try to play low pressure again as they have done against Wheaton in the past. Not last night. The game was more like a heavyweight fight with attack and counter-attack by both teams.
Augie took it to them from the opening kick and took the lead about 12 minutes in. Wheaton countered with a beautiful goal of its own and the half ended in a 1-1 tie. I thought Augie let off the gas pedal after they got the 1 goal lead, but I'm sure some of that had to do with Wheaton responding to the deficit. Each team scored a questionable goal in the second half - Augie on a disputable penalty kick, and Wheaton on a disputable direct kick just outside the 18.
I thought Augie dominated the OT, although shots were 2-2 in that time. Augie had the only corner in OT and scored with about 1:30 left in the first OT. Overall stats wise, the game was almost dead even, with shots in favor of Wheaton at 11-10, corners were even at 4-4 and saves were even at 3-3.
I've seen Wheaton play approximately 10 times in the last few years. This was the first time I've seen them get rattled like any other team. Wheaton received 3 yellows in the match, and I believe each of them was a response to the direct Augie pressure. I saw a defender kick a ball over her own end line with a resulting corner kick when other options were available to her. I can't remember seeing a Wheaton team do that in the past. Even when they lost to Puget Sound earlier in the year, Wheaton controlled the game. I think that UChicago and Augie showed that you can pressure Wheaton - they are not invincible.
That being said, I believe that Wheaton is still the benchmark in the CCIW. They are a class program that every team should aim to copy. This was only the 2nd time in history that Augie has beaten Wheaton. I can't imagine the pressure that Wheaton plays with on a daily basis. To be at the top for as long as they have, and to wear the bulls-eye on their back for every game has got to wear on the players. They know that every game they are going to get their opponents' best shot, yet they roll on at or near the top. On the rare occasions that they do lose, they make no excuses. I respect that.
Here is a link to the winning goal:
http://www.augustana.edu/x16922.xml
