With just one game remaining in the season, the St. Catherine University soccer team knew it would have to put everthing on the line if it wanted to hold on to a chance at the program's first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) postseason berth. However, the Wildcats' final opponent wasn't going to let up easy as Bethel University knew a win on the final day of the regular season would send the squad to its first ever conference playoff.
In front of a huge, energetic crowd on a cold and windy day at St. Kate's, the two MIAC teams battled in a knockout fight that wasn't decided until the 81st minute when the Royals tallied the game-winner off a corner kick opportunity to punch their ticket to the MIAC playoffs with a 3-2 victory over the Wildcats Saturday afternoon in St. Paul.
Despite, holding a 6-5 advantage in shots over the Royals in the first half, the Wildcats found themselves down early as their opponent managed to take advantage of key opportunities. At the 7:12 mark of the first half, Erin Ness recorded an unassisted tally as she beat goalkeeper
Danielle Mendez (Bloomington, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels) to give the Royals a 1-0 lead.
The Royals managed to hold of the Wildcat attack a bit longer and gave themselves some cushion with just over three minutes to play when the team's leading scorer Jess Huseby took a corner kick that sailed into the net giving the Royals a 2-0 advantage.
The Wildcats finally brought the pressure, though, when they cut the Royal lead in half 90 seconds later. After a
Hannah Brown (Burnsville, Minn./Lakeville South) shot hit the post,
Julia Zyla (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Trinity School at River Ridge) pounded in the rebound for her second goal of the season.
With new life in the second half, the Wildcats immediately gained control of the game and tied up the contest at the 52:24 mark. The Wildcats' leading scorere
Hannah Okerstrom (Bayport, Minn./Stillwater) found the net for the fifth time this season on a pass from Zyla.
After the Okerstrom goal, the Wildcats had several key opportunities to take the lead in a half where they outshot the Royals 8-4. Unfortunately, the corner kick opportunities appeared to be the dagger in the heart for the Wildcats as the Royals played in a loose ball in front of Mendez off a corner at 80:41 to take a 3-2 lead they never surrendered en route to their sixth MIAC win of the season.
Mendez finished the game with three saves in goal for the Wildcats for a 1.09 goals against average on the season. She also ends with a program record 12 career shutouts thanks to her five shutouts this season. Okerstrom's goal gives her the team lead with five tallies this season and a team-best 11 points. Zyla recorded her second multi-point game of the season to finish tied second on the team in points (8) with
Ellen Kokes (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson).
Okerstrom led the Wildcat attack with five total shots, while Zyla as well as Shannon Hickey (Eden Prairie, Minn./Visitation) and Kelly Molitor (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South) each had two.
Nina Bukowski (Two Harbors, Minn./Two Harbors) finished her collegiate career with one shot against the Royals. The senior tallied 10 goals for 24 points in 64 games played. The squad also honored seniors Sarah Anderson (Marshalltown, Iowa/Shattuck-St. Mary's) and Jennifer Goetz (Minneapolis, Minn./South). Anderson was All-MIAC Honorable Mention as a junior, while fellow defender Goetz scored a game-winner against Gustavus Adolphus College as a sophomore.
The Wildcats conclude their season 7-9-1 overall and 4-7 in the MIAC. This is just the third time in program history the Wildcats have recorded four conference wins in a season. Wildcat Soccer on TwitterWildcat Soccer on FacebookWildcats on TwitterWildcats on Facebook
