Madison, Wisc. - November 6, 2009 - The Robert Morris University Colonials upset defending national champion No. 6 Wisconsin, 3-1, on Friday afternoon at the Kohl Center, marking their second victory over a nationally ranked team of the season. After a scoreless first period, freshman Jennifer Kindret (Winnipeg, Manitoba / BC Breakers) scored two unanswered goals in the second period, which gave RMU a lead they would never relinquish for the remainder of play.
With the win, Robert Morris improves to 4-5-0 overall, while the Badgers drop to 5-4-0 overall.
"I am very pleased with how we played tonight," said head coach Nate Handrahan. "Obviously going into a great team's building and getting a win is huge, but to do it against a ranked team and the defending champs is awesome. We dealt with some adversity and our past experiences helped us through tonight."
Despite aggressive play by both teams, neither the Colonials nor the Badgers were able to find the back of the net in the first period, leaving things scoreless upon entering the second stanza of action. Junior goalie Daneca Butterfield (Kronau, Saskatchewan / Notre Dame Hounds) played resiliently from start to finish and made 12 stops in period one alone, while Wisconsin goalie Becca Ruegsegger made seven saves.
The first 10 minutes of the second period looked very similar to the first, but finally at 10:20 Kindret received a feed from freshman Cobina Delaney (Stittsville, Ontario / Ottawa Senators) and fired a shot through Ruegsegger's five-hole to give RMU a 1-0 advantage. Sophomore Brianna Delaney (Stittsville, Ontario / NCCP Raiders) was credited with the second assist.
The Colonials added to their lead when Kindret scored her second goal of the night exactly seven minutes after her first score at 17:20. Brianna Delaney tallied her second assist of the game on the play and senior Mallory Giambra (Rochester, N.Y. / Rochester Edge) captured her first point of the season with the second helper. Neither team scored in the remaining three minutes of the period, giving Robert Morris a two goal cushion after two periods.
Robert Morris's intensity quieted the Badgers in the third period, as it was the first stanza the Colonials outshot Wisconsin, sending off 10 shots to the Badgers five. However, at 9:28 Wisconsin was able to get a score on the board when Saige Pacholok found an opening in Butterfield's net off assists from Brooke Ammerman and Mallory Deluce.
During a Wisconsin power-play, the Badgers pulled their goalie in an effort to knot the score, but junior Sara O'Malley (Guelph, Ontario / Hamilton Hawks) was able to find the empty net to secure the 3-1 win.
Butterfield finished the game with 28 saves, while Ruegsegger tallied 17 stops. Robert Morris was unsuccessful on its lone power-play opportunity of the game, while Wisconsin went zero-for-three.
The Colonials head back to Kohl Arena tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. to face the Badgers in game two of the series.
Courtesy: Robert Morris Athletics