Ellsworth's Historic Brace Sends Bengals To Semi-Finals

BY MATT GITTINS, ISU SPORTS INFORMATION

MISSOULA, Montana – Amanda Ellsworth's historic brace sent Idaho State past Northern Colorado 2-1 in double overtime at the Big Sky Conference quarterfinals.

The senior striker headed home a corner kick from Whitney Peterson in the 102nd minute for the golden goal.  The Bengals move on to play the top seeded Montana Grizzlies in the semi-finals Friday at 2 p.m.

"Amanda buried that thing off a gorgeous service by Whitney," Head Coach Allison Gibson said. "We just completely dominated overtime. It's always been our thing especially this year. We have so much pride in overtime. Nobody is going to outwork us. We put our foot on the gas pedal and didn't let anything by our back line.  It's the makeup of this team. After the game I told them 'This is the team that won't go away'. It speaks volumes to their character." 

Idaho State struck first in the 55th minute as Ellsworth collected a through pass from Maria Sanchez and calmly finished the ball into the back of the net.  The tally moved her into first place in Big Sky Conference history for career goals scored (37) and points (83). She breaks a mark that has stood for over a decade.

"I was so excited for her. I wanted her to get that because she has worked so hard for it," Gibson said. "She's the most competitive player I have ever coached at Idaho State. I love seeing that spirit. She has grown so much in these four years.  It was an awesome goal."

Keeper Sheridan Hapsic made six saves for the Bengals.