ST. PAUL, MINN. – It was hard to tell how the St. Catherine University soccer team would follow up its historic 2015 year in 2016.
Naturally, the Wildcats did it by making more history.
After posting an 11-5-1 record and a 6-4-1 mark in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play, St. Kate's qualified for the conference tournament for just the second time in program history. However, this time around, the Wildcats weren't simply satisfied with a playoff berth. For the first time in program history, St. Kate's will host a first-round playoff game on Tuesday, November 1 on its home field.
The Wildcats, who are the No. 4 seed in the tournament, will face a familiar foe in the first round of the playoffs Tuesday at 2 p.m. The Gustavus Adolphus College Gusties will be making their second trip to St. Kate's in two weeks to take on the Wildcats. Gustavus earned the No. 5 seed in the MIAC playoffs after suffering a 1-0 loss to Hamline University on Saturday.
Tickets prices for Tuesday are $7 for adults and $3 to students/children, and 2016-17 MIAC passes will be accepted as well. Students can get into the game for free if they present a student ID at the gate.
Live stats will also be available during the game and scoring updates will be made on St. Kate's official Twitter page (@stkateswildcats).
Here is a special edition of the five facts to know before the playoff game:
2nd – This is the second consecutive season St. Kate's has earned a berth to the MIAC playoffs. Last season, the Wildcats qualified for the postseason tournament for the first time in program history as the No. 6 seed.
8 – St. Kate's scored eight goals last week in two must-win games. The Wildcats scored four unanswered goals in the second half on Wednesday to beat Saint Mary's University 5-0 in the team's last home game of the regular season. Then, on Saturday, St. Kate's again scored a barrage of goals in the second half against Concordia, beating the Cobbers 3-0 to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
5 – Sophomore midfielder
Kaitlin Machovec (Woodbury, Minn. / North St. Paul) tallied five points in the Wildcats 3-0 win over Concordia on Saturday and three in their win over Saint Mary's on Wednesday. In the past week, Machovec has scored three goals and tallied two assists to lead the team for the week with eight total points. This season, she is second on the team in goals (7) and points (20) and leads the team in assists (6).
27 – St. Kate's has outscored opponents 27-15 in the second half of games this season and have outshot opponents 197-101 in the second half as well.
6 – The Wildcats hold a 6-1-1 record at home this 2016 season. Their only loss came on October 22, when the team lost to none other than Gustavus in 4-2 fashion.
Additional Information
As the No. 4 seed, St. Kate's will host the first round playoff game at its home field on St. Kate's campus. If the Wildcats win their first round game, they will travel to the University of St. Thomas to take on the top-seeded Tommies at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2.
