Box Score
Heading into the first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) contest of the season, it appeared on paper that the odds of pulling off a win were not in favor of the St. Catherine University soccer team.
 
The Wildcats faced the challenge of playing on the road, in the rain, against a Carleton College team that was picked to finish second in the MIAC and ranked fourth in the latest regional polls. Early in the season, the Knights also beat a Wartburg team that took down the Wildcats 6-0 last Friday.
 
But just as they have done all season, the Wildcats showed their tenacity and perseverance as they defeated Carleton 1-0 in Northfield on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Head Coach Chris Citowicki has known all season that his team was capable of finding success against talented teams and said this game is proof that if “you work hard, you get what you deserve.”
 
“The past few days of practice were excellent and we carried over that energy into the game,” said Citowicki.
 
The day's matchup began with a strong offensive attack from Carleton as the Knights had seven shots and six corner kicks in the first half. However, the Wildcat defense came up big as it has all season and kept the game even through the 45.
 
Despite being outshot throughout most of the game, the Wildcats kept their composure and were able to capitalize on the opportunities they did get.
 
First-year Elly Leyva (San Jacinto, Minn.) came up with some late-game heroics in the 76th minute as she split two defenders and put the ball past Carleton goalkeeper Mikayla Coulombe inside the right post for the goal.
 
“At halftime, you could tell it was going to be a one-goal game and we took advantage of our chance when it came,” said Citowicki.
 
After the goal, the Wildcats continued to stick to their game plan and hold-off the Carleton attack. First-year goalkeeper Danielle Mendez (Bloomington, Minn.) continued to show her importance in goal for St. Catherine as she came up with eight-saves on the day.
 
Leyva is now second on the team behind Christina Paik (Beaverton, Ore.) in points with seven. Paik led the team in shots on goal in the game with two.
 
The Wildcats improve to 4-1 on the season and now take a break from conference play. St. Catherine returns to action on Saturday against Dubuque. The contest is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start in Iowa.
 
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