March 7, 2017 - History was made in Angola, IN for Concordia University Chicago women's lacrosse this evening in exhilarating if not slightly unconventional fashion. Sophia Robson's deflection three minutes into overtime gave the Cougars a 14-13 win over Trine University and the first win for the second-year program.

The Cougars' perseverance paid off after the Thunder forced the overtime with a goal with just 24 seconds remaining in the second half. "In these first two games (a 10-9 loss to Cornell on Saturday the first one), and even going back to last year, you could see this team coming together," said CUC head coach Brian Patterson. "This group is only getting better, and now that we've gotten this big win as affirmation for what we're doing, we can begin to advance to the next level."

Tonight's early minutes were not promising for CUC as the Thunder scored three times in the first 5 1/2 minutes. But Sydney Fuller got the Cougars on the board just a minute after the Thunder's third goal. Sonja Sorensen netted the team's second goal, but the Cougars trailed 5-2 midway through the half before they kicked the offense up another notch. Fuller scored her second of the night, followed by Margaret Doane a minute later, and just like that, the visitors were within one. "We haven't been fast starters in these first two games, but we keep grinding and find a way," said Patterson.

The score remained at 5-4 until Trine scored twice to restore a three-goal lead. However, the Cougars roared back, spurred by Anna Kellar's goal off Fuller's assist. Concordia stunned the hosts with three goals in the final 69 seconds of the half, with Kellar and Fuller scoring on free-position shots. Doane then scored her second with just 23 seconds remaining to give CUC an 8-7 lead at the break.

Coming out of the locker room for the second half, the excitement began to grow for the Cougars as Fuller scored on another free-position shot and set up Kellar moments later for a 10-7 lead. However, Trine got up off the mat and answered with two goals to make it a one-goal game with 20 minutes left.

Fuller's fifth of the match and Kellar's fourth kept the pressure on the home team, but Trine would not go away. This time, it was the Thunder's turn to stun the Cougars with three consecutive goals to tie the game 12-12. But with exactly one minute remaining, Fuller scored her sixth of the game to put the Cougars on the verge of victory. The only player on last year's team with significant competitive lacrosse experience prior to coming to CUC, Fuller is becoming an even more significant - and dangerous - weapon in the Cougars' arsenal, according to Patterson. "Sydney now knows how important she is as an on-field leader. She has no fear of failure, and I think that a lot of our players are picking up on that."

While Fuller's goal had CUC just one minute away, victory was not going to come that easily. The Thunder's Elena Gallego knotted the game with just 24 seconds remaining, and the match was headed into a six-minute sudden-death overtime. Both teams had one good opportunity in the extra session before a Cougars' attack resulted with the ball being thrown in fromt of the Trine net. The loose ball was deflected off Robson's thigh and just made it into the net. A fateful pause ensued as the referees conferred to determine whether the ball had been kicked in or otherwise deflected illegally. Finally, the goal was confirmed and the Cougars joyously celebrated the momentous victory.

The Cougars (1-1) will continue this four-game road trip on Friday night when they play at Olivet College in Michigan.