Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Louisville
Deacons Edge Louisville 3-2 in Overtime Thriller
9/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Sept. 4, 2011
Final Stats | Final Stats (PDF) 
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Freshman Anna Kozniuk fired a shot into the back of the cage just four minutes into overtime to give Wake Forest a 3-2 victory in its home opener over No. 16 Louisville on Sunday afternoon at Kentner Stadium.
The No. 11 Deacons improved their record to 1-3 for the season, as the Cardinals are now 2-2.
Kozniuk's goal came at the 3:54 mark in overtime and was the second of her young career. The unassisted shot was perfectly placed from the top of the circle and sailed past Louisville goalkeeper Erin Conrad into the top left corner of the cage.
The two teams played evenly for the first 30 minutes of the match before Hayley Turner gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead after converting on a Wake turnover inside the circle at 30:44. That strike allowed Louisville to hold the lead through halftime.
The Deacs responded well after the break as junior Lizzie Rae scored her second goal in as many days at 48:36. Rae raced through Louisville's defense along the baseline and hit the top corner of the net. She nearly converted an opportunity earlier in the match as well, but Conrad was able to make the save.
Wake Forest took its first lead with just 2:39 to play when sophomore Taylor Rhea netted her first goal of the season with a well-placed assist from redshirt freshman Christine Conroe. Conroe charged into the center of the circle before passing to Rhea, who chipped in the goal from the left side of the post.
The Cardinals managed to force overtime in dramatic fashion at the 69:08 mark. Turner inserted a penalty corner and claimed her second goal of the contest following a quick assist from Mallory Mason. The Deacs had one last shot to end the contest in regulation, but Rae's attempt was blocked as time expired, setting up Kozniuk's heroics in the extra period.
Wake Forest will return to action next Saturday as they travel to Durham, N.C., to take on Duke in their ACC opener.
