Liberty Dickerson scored in the game's 86th minute to help Northland defeat Crown 1-0.

Boxscore

The Northland College Women's Soccer team began the final weekend of the regular season on Friday night at home. Northland played host at Ponzio Stadium to Crown College. The LumberJills, needing to win to keep their postseason hopes alive, were able to break a scoreless game in the last five minutes to secure a 1-0 win.

The match featured a back and forth battle between two teams whose postseason fates are not secure. The Polars entered the game in the final spot for the UMAC tournament that begins next week and could have punched their ticket with a win and a Martin Luther College loss. Neither result worked in their favor as the LumberJills were able to inch closer by earning the hard-fought 1-0 win (Martin Luther, also, won their match on Friday). For the LumberJills, the scenarios were a little more complicated coming into the weekend. Two wins were required on their part, regardless. But the team, also, needed help from another team in the conference.

Liberty Dickerson got to a loose ball after a Northland throw in late in the second half. With space to shoot from the top right corner of the box, the sophomore midfielder lofted a shot at the middle of the net. An awkward bounce just in front of the Polar's keeper allowed the ball to sneak past and break the scoreless tie. The game winner is the second for Dickerson in the last two games. Elysabeth Lough, the UMAC's reigning defensive player of the week, needed seven saves to complete the shutout.

"It was a great result for us tonight and I couldn't be more proud of our second half performance," commented head coach Dan Dubois. "Crown is a talented team and they are so tough physically and mentally. We knew we were in for a 90 minute battle and that is exactly what we got."

Northland will conclude the regular season at Ponzio Stadium on Saturday night as they take on UM-Morris. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM. A small ceremony to honor the seniors will take place prior to the game.

Northland College is an NCAA Division III institution located in Ashland, WI. The LumberJacks and LumberJills sponsor 14 varsity sports and compete in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, Midwest Lacrosse Conference and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.