MORRIS, MINN. – The St. Catherine University soccer team wanted to start the 2016 season on the right foot. Thanks to a huge offensive splurge in the second half, the Wildcat did just that, beating the University of Minnesota-Morris 5-1 in their first game of the 2016 season
.
"Everyone contributed in this win, and I couldn't be happier with how [the game] ended," St. Kate's Head Coach Chris Citowicki commented after the game.

Citowicki had a lot to be proud of in his team's first outing of 2016. The Wildcats outshot the Cougars 34-13, while goalies Shelby Fehringer (Andover, Minn. / Andover), Jessica Perez-Adame (San Jancinto, Calif. / San Jacinto), and Tayler Koop (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) allowed just one goal and made seven saves in 90 minutes of work.

Despite the final score, Morris gave St. Kate's all it could handle. The Cougars took a 1-0 lead over the Wildcats at 26:30 when junior midfielder Molly Hancuh scored her first game of the season off a pass from Carly Denler. However, that was the only Morris goal St. Kate's would allow, as the three goalies went on to shut out the Cougars for the remaining 63:30 of the game.

St. Kate's looked to answer quickly after the first Morris goal and scored the equalizer less than seven minutes later. Allie Bird (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) scored the first goal of the season and the first goal of her career at 33:49 to tie the game at one goal apiece. The score remained tied at the half, but the flood gates were opened, as the Wildcats went on to score four unanswered goals in the second half.

"Give credit to Morris for how well they played," Citowicki commented. "They stifled us and created lots of good scoring chances in the first half."

The Wildcats, though, took over in the second half, both on defense and on offense. St. Kate's defense completely shut down the Cougars, holding them to just three shots in the last 45 minutes. The Wildcat offense, meanwhile, with four goals off 22 shots in the second half.  

Two of those four goals were scored Hannah Okerstrom (Bayport, Minn. / Stillwater), St. Kate's top scorer in 2015. After assisted on Bird's goal in the first, the senior midfielder wasted no time scoring two goals of her own. Nine minutes into the second half, Okerstrom scored her first goal of the 2016 season and then scored her second at 66:51. With the two second half goals, Okerstrom's career total is now 21, which is tied for fourth most in St. Kate's history.

Molly Hayes (South St. Paul, Minn. / South St. Paul) also jumped in on the scoring barrage. She scored an unassisted goal at 71:27 to put the Wildcats up 4-1 with less than 20 minutes to play in the game. First year Marissa Janssen (Oakdale, Minn. / North) sealed the win with a fifth goal in the 88^th minute.

Koop picked up the first win of her college career as she was in goal when the Okerstrom scored the game winner at 54:23.

With the winning momentum on its side, St. Kate's will return home for its first home game of the 2016 season. The Wildcats host visiting Transylvania University from Lexington, Kentucky, at 12 p.m. at St. Kate's field in St. Paul.