When Head Soccer Coach
Chris Citowicki arrived on the campus of St. Catherine University in 2011, he worked with his coaching staff and set the goal to reach the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) playoffs by the time the incoming 2012 class of first-years were seniors.
Fast forward to 2015 – mission accomplished. With a huge 1-0 shutout of Concordia College Saturday – the first Wildcat win over the Cobbers since 2002 – Citowicki's squad punched its ticket to the postseason for the first time in program history. Now, the next step – keep playing.
The Wildcats – who moved ahead of the Cobbers in the standings with the victory to clinch the No. 5 seed – will face a familiar foe Tuesday in the quarterfinals as they travel to Augsburg College for a 2 p.m. matchup in Minneapolis. The Auggies earned a chance to host the Wildcats after shutting out regular season MIAC champion University of St. Thomas 4-0 Saturday.
Earlier in the month of October, the Wildcats began to earn respect in the conference as they defeated the then-ranked No. 25 Auggies with a 2-0 shutout at home – a win that sparked the Wildcats' late run into the playoffs.
The Wildcats started the season 1-3 in the MIAC. But following a late-game loss to the College of Saint Benedict, the Wildcats went on to win eight of their next nine games including a victory over another nationally-ranked opponent in the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
In that time span, the Wildcats shut out their opponents seven times and gave up just three goals in the process. With a win over then league-leading Gustavus Adolphus College Oct. 24, the Wildcats set a new program record for overall (10) and conference (5) wins.
That victory gave the Wildcats the momentum they needed to finish fifth with a 7-4 MIAC record and head into Tuesday's matchup with a lot of confidence.
The Wildcats also have a lot to be confident about when looking at the personnel on the field, especially with
Hannah Okerstrom (Bayport, Minn./Stillwater) and
Elly Leyva (San Jacinto, Calif./San Jacinto).
After a quiet start to the season, Okerstrom has emerged as one of the top statistical players in the MIAC – and she's been even more important in her ability to come up big when the Wildcats need it. The junior first began her ascent to the top when she led the Wildcats to their conference first victory of the season over Hamline University when she recorded a hat trick.
Okerstrom added just two more goals in conference play – scoring both in the loss to the Blazers – before coming alive late in the season. She scored five goals in the final four games which included both a pair of goals in both the 2-1 win over Gustavus and the 2-0 decision over Saint Mary's University.
This season, Okerstrom set a new school record for goals (13) and points (28) in a season since the Wildcats joined the MIAC. She leads the MIAC in overall and conference goals (9). Her 28 points are second-most in the MIAC, while her 19 points in conference games are also second.
Okerstrom hasn't been the only weapon for the Wildcats this season, though. After a quiet junior year where she recorded just one point, Leyva reemerged as a huge offensive threat and fulfilled the Wildcats' role of being "clutch."
Like Okerstrom, Leyva made her first impact of the season adding a goal and an assist in the team's rout of Hamline in September. Then, she went on a five-game point streak that was highlighted by her overtime game-winner against St. Olaf College – her fourth winner in extra minutes in her four-year career.
With an assist in the Wildcats' win over Saint Mary's, Leyva set a new St. Kate's record mark for assists in a season (7) since joining the MIAC. This year, Leyva is fifth in the MIAC for points (21) and eighth against MIAC opponents (11). Her seven goals rank seventh and her seven assists are tied for fourth. Both Leyva and Okerstrom also earned MIAC Women's Soccer Athlete-of-the-Week honors this season.
The other key component to the Wildcats' success has been the remarkable play of
Danielle Mendez (Bloomington, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels). The senior keeper posted back-to-back shutouts – including a nine-save effort against the Cobbers – to help the Wildcats earn two wins to get in to the postseason.
This season, Mendez has recorded six shutouts and five against MIAC opponents – both second-best in the MIAC. She now owns a school record 19 career shutouts and has allowed just 11 goals to MIAC teams this season. Her 0.81 goals against average is third in the MIAC as is her .818 save percentage. Her 11 victories are the most in the MIAC by a goalkeeper this season, and her seven MIAC wins are tied for third.
Other important players for the Wildcats include
Ellen Kokes (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) and
Allie Boucher (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater) who play critical roles in setting up the offense and holding down the team's last line of defense. Kokes has recorded 10 points this season which includes an assist on the Wildcats' lone goal against the Cobbers. She is also an offensive threat on corner and free kick chances.
Boucher has six points this season with assists on three game-winners this season including those over Augsburg and Gustavus. The junior is also the team's top go-to on throw-in balls and free kicks.
Though the Wildcats cruised to a shutout against a slow-moving Auggie team in the regular season, they will have their hands full against one of the top offensive teams in the league. The Auggies lead the league in nearly every offensive category overall and scored the most goals in conference games with 21. They also have two of the league's top point scorers in Marie Fitzgerald (34) and Marta Anderson (22).
The Wildcats will take on the Auggies at 2 p.m. Tuesday, while No. 6-seeded Concordia will head to No. 3-seed Macalester College for the other quarterfinal matchup. The winners of each game will turnaround to play in the semifinals Wednesday at 2 p.m. The No. 1 seed Tommies will host the winner of the Wildcat-Auggie matchup, and Gustavus will host the winner of the Scot-Cobber game.
All MIAC playoff information can be found on the
conference playoff page. MIAC playoff policy states admission must be $7 for adult, $3 for students and all children under five are free. MIAC passes will be honored.
Wildcat Soccer on TwitterWildcat Soccer on FacebookWildcats on InstagramWildcats on TwitterWildcats on Facebook
