The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats tied their record for wins in a season with their 1-0 win over Emporia State on Thursday at Emporia, KS. Northwest Missouri State midfielder Heidi Sobota sent a slick ball through the hands of Emporia State goalkeeper Nikki Schmitz and into the back of the net for the game-winning goal in a 2-1 double-overtime win Thursday at ESU Pitch.

Shannon Fitzgerald, a Catholic 2005 graduate who played on 2 State tournament teams for the Irish, reached her 70th game played for the Bearcats in the historic win. Returning from a Redshirt season in 2008 due to injury, Shannon ranks 5th in career assists at the program and is one of 13 players who have more than 700 minutes played this season.

Shannon started 17 games and appeared in all 18 as a junior, holds the role of primary kicker for corners. Her sophomore year she started the final 17 games of the season, appeared in all 19 and was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection. Freshman year she played in 17 of 18 games, ranked sixth on the team in points while recording 11 shots with one game-winning goal.

While at Catholic, the team made a trip to the state Final Four in her sophomore and junior years, losing in the quarterfinals in her senior year, and was a two-time all-state honoree and a three-time all-district and all-region selection.

You’ll have one more chance to see her before her college career ends when the Bearcats visit Southwest Baptist on November 7th, a 12pm start time that day. There is a game at Central Missouri State in Warrensburg for the more adventurous on Thursday November 5th at 7 pm.

By the way, the Bearcat site has a nice retrospective on the season on their site, Bearcats Rule the Pitch in 2009, for anyone wanting more information on the development of the team and the program in the five years Shannon has been at NWMSU.