Box Score
The St. Catherine University soccer team has had a great turnaround from last season when the Wildcats went 1-17. But heading into Saturday's matchup against an always-tough Macalester College squad, the Wildcats knew adding another win to their much improved 8-6 record would be a difficult task, especially in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC).
In a back-and-forth game at Macalester field, the Wildcats managed to take the Scots to double overtime, but came up short as the MIAC's leading goal scorer, Georgia Cloepfil, beat
Danielle Mendez (Bloomington, Minn.) in the 103rd minute to lift the Scots to a 1-0 win.
“We started off slow,” said Head Coach
Chris Citowicki, “but once it settled down, it was a great game. It was one of those back-and-forth encounters where the ball goes from one end of the field to the other and chance after chance goes begging.”
Though Mendez only recorded two saves, she made numerous defensive stops to keep the Wildcats in the game, as did her teammates. The Wildcats recorded two saves in an effort to stop five Macalester shots on goal, all of which came from Cloepfil.
The Wildcats had several close opportunities including two shots from the Wildcats' leading point scorer,
Christina Paik (Beaverton, Ore.). The other Wildcat shots came off the feet of
Kristi Thorwick (Maplewood, Minn.) and
Hannah Brown (Burnsville, Minn.).
Though the Wildcats came up on the losing end, Citowicki sees it as just another step in the right direction for the team.
“We're obviously disappointed,” Citowicki said. “But looking at the big picture, I am satisfied with the direction we are moving in as a program. It's been a fantastic turn-around and I can't wait to see what we do next.”
The Wildcats fall to 8-7 with just two games remaining in their remarkable 2012 season. They hit the road to take on Gustavus Adolphus College for a 4 p.m. game on Wednesday. Next Saturday, the Wildcats return home for the final game of the season as they take on Hamline at 1 p.m.
Wildcats on Twitter
Wildcats on Facebook