ST. PAUL, MINN. – Hannah Okerstrom (Bayport, Minn. / Stillwater) and Iryna Talkachova (Shoreview, Minn. / Shattuck-St. Mary's) have built their St. Catherine University soccer careers on the ability to make big plays when it mattered the most. Saturday afternoon, the senior forward and sophomore defender made two of the biggest plays of their careers to help the Wildcats earn a 2-1 double overtime victory Elmhurst College.

"We did a lot of things well today, but the most important thing we showed was character," a proud Chris Citowicki said after the game. "To be beat up like we were yesterday and turn around and beat a team that was undefeated in double overtime shows how strong our program is."

Citowicki had a lot to be impressed with in St. Kate's victory. After a disappointing 7-1 loss to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on Saturday, the Wildcats returned to St. Paul to host the visiting Bluejays. It was clear from the beginning that the team was gunning to bring home the victory, as St. Kate's played aggressive from the opening whistle. However, the Wildcats found themselves down 1-0 after a costly defensive mistake.  Elmhurst's Sydney O'Keefe deked St. Kate's defender Amanda Carey (Hudson, Wis. / Hudson) and pushed the ball past a diving Tayler Koop (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) to score the first goal of the game.

The Bluejays opening goal only made the Wildcats hungry for their own. Exactly one minute after Elmhurst scored its goal, Okerstrom scored the equalizer on the left side of the box off cross from Nicole Palsgrove (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove).

With the score knotted 1-1, St. Kate's continued to press the Bluejays on offense and defense throughout the first half. Although Elmhurst outshot the Wildcats 7-6 in the first half, St. Kate's controlled the ball from the 35^th minute mark until the end of regulation. The Wildcats had 21 shots in the second half, the Bluejays only managed two.

Three of St. Kate's 21 shots came in the final seconds of regulation time. Because the game was still tied at one, the Wildcats were looking for yet another victory on a last second shot. St. Kate's had three good looks inside the box with under 10 seconds to play, but Kelly Molitor's (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville) initial shot was block off Talkachova's corner kick. Okerstrom aggressively attacked the rebound, but her shot hit the far side post, and Shannon Hickey's (Eden Prairie, Minn. / Eden Prairie) shot went wide right as the final seconds ticked away.  

Since the game was still tied 1-1, the Wildcats and Bluejays were headed into overtime. Again, St. Kate's controlled the ball offensively, with four shots compared to Elmhurst's one. However, outstanding play from the Bluejay keeper Sophia Tuliglowski kept the score tied at one.

The second overtime was just as dramatic as the first, only this time, a heavy dose of rain was involved. Elmhurst took the first shot of the period, a cross from the weak side of the field, but Shelby Fehringer (Anoka, Minn. / Anoka) was there to make the save, giving her team a chance to score the game winning goal. However, after nine minutes and thirty second of hard fought play in the rain, it looked like the game was going to end in a 1-1 draw.

Then, Talkachova shot the ball.

With 19 seconds remaining in the game, Talkachova took a pass from Marissa Janssen (Oakdale, Minn. / North) at her favorite spot: the upper left corner of the penalty box. Just as she did against River Falls earlier this season, Talkachova wound her leg and kicked the ball past a diving goaltender, lifting the Wildcats to a 2-1 double overtime victory.

"It was awesome to watch and be a part of this [game]," Citowicki commented after the game. "Years of dedication and hard work have created a strong culture that makes it possible for use to get wins like this."

Both Okerstrom and Talkachova have been powerful weapons on offense for St. Kate's all season long. Okerstrom's goal was her fourth of the season, and she leads the Wildcats with 12 points overall in 2016. Talkachova scored her third goal of the year, all of which have been game winners, in the second overtime.

With the win, St. Kate's improves to 5-1-1 this season and have a 1-0-1 mark in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play. The Wildcats will look for their second conference game of the year Wednesday afternoon, when they take on Macalester College at 4 p.m. on St. Kate's field.