UW-Eau Claire celebrates another victory by the football team
The Blugolds beat the St. Norbert Knights in double overtime, 30-23
More stories from Natalie Fleming
Photo by Sam Farley
The Blugolds beat the Green Knights in double overtime on Saturday.
The UW-Eau Claire football team successfully cashed in another victory on Saturday night in Carson Park against the St. Norbert Green Knights, 30-23.
The Blugolds are starting the season off with two consecutive wins — the first occurrence since 2010. Entering overtime twice and finishing with a win, the Blugolds revealed just the beginning of what to expect from the team this season.
“We are ready to go,” Dan Larson, the head coach, said of the atmosphere before the game.
No. 18 Brad Goetsch, a second-year kicker, scored two 35-yard field goals in the first quarter and another 22-yard field goal in the second. The first touchdown was made by Brian Kulaga, a fourth-year. His 19-yard run and Goetsch’s continued accuracy carried the Blugolds into halftime up 16-0.
The third quarter brought a 66-yard touchdown by the St. Norberts Knights, their first points earned in the game. Blugolds defense stopped the Knights’ 2-point conversion attempt, leaving the score 16-6.
The fourth quarter was when the game intensified. With 40 seconds left on the clock, the turmoil began. The crowd cheered for the Blugolds.
The Knights made another touchdown, the ball thrown by No. 15 Drew Rhodes. The score was 13-16, and St. Norberts’ Spenser Thompson-Meyers completed a final attempt to earn the Knights points by kicking a 29-yard field goal within the last three seconds of the game. The goal was successful, tying the game 16-16.
Going into overtime, it looked like a dismal start for the UW-Eau Claire football players.
Students began to file out of the bleachers, and the Knights shifted the score 16-23 with a 4 yard run by Knight Jadon Sackman. However, with a 9 yard touchdown by Scott Procter, the Blugolds managed to tie the game once again at 23-23.
At the start of the second overtime, a chant started by the Blugold marching band began and the student section joined the rhythmic yelling of “U-W-E-C, go Blugolds.”
Kulaga raced down the field in a 9-yard touchdown, completed with a single-point goal kick, finishing the game 30-23.
“A lot of teams would fold,” said Sam Romanski, a third-year outside linebacker. “Our defense stayed together … We stuck together as a team.”
Fleming can be reached at [email protected].
