RIVER FALLS, WIS. – The St. Catherine University soccer program has a very storied history in terms of last second heroics. On Sunday, the Wildcats needed some last second magic in order to pull out their third victory in four days and that is exactly what happened. Tied 1-1 with two seconds remaining on the clock, sophomore defender Iryna Talkachova (Shoreview, Minn. / Shattuck-St. Mary's) scored her first goal of the season to lead St. Kate's to a 2-1 victory to open the season with a perfect 3-0 record.

"This is one of the best games I've ever been involved in during my career at St. Kate's," an excited Chris Citowicki, head coach of the St. Kate's soccer team, said after the game. "We never stop fighting and working hard until the final whistle blows. That showed today."

The Wildcats hard work certainly paid off in their third game in four days. The team wasted no time jumping into the season, but the wear and tear seemed to have an effect in the first half. River Falls held St. Kate's to just seven shots in the first 45 minutes, the team's lowest total of the season, and shut the Wildcats out in the first half for the first time in 2016.

St. Kate's defense tried valiantly to keep the Falcons off the board in the first half, but River Falls Abby Soderholm snuck a ball past Wildcat goalie Shelby Fehringer (Andover, Minn. / Andover), giving the Falcons a 1-0 lead at the 15 minute mark. That score would stand going into halftime, meaning St. Kate's trailed at the half for the first time this season.

The Wildcat offense came out of the 15 minute halftime firing on all cylinders, creating multiple scoring opportunities for the offensive catalysts. However, ten, then fifteen, then twenty minutes ticked by, and St. Kate's still hadn't managed to push the ball past River Falls' goalies.  

That all changed, though, in the 67^th minute. Senior forward Hannah Okerstrom (Bayport, Minn. / Stillwater) finally broke through for the Wildcats, scoring St. Kate's first goal of the game off a cross from fellow senior Allie Boucher (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater). The goal was Okerstrom's third of the year and brought her team leading point total to nine on the season.

With Okerstrom's game tying goal on the board, the Wildcats went back to work. St. Kate's defense held River Falls offense to just one shot in the second half, giving the offense time to score the game winner. Despite the Wildcats, best efforts, it looked like the game was headed into overtime as the score was still knotted 1-1 with less than a minute in regulation.

Then, Talkachova took the shot of her life.

With two seconds remaining in regulation time, the sophomore defender herded a pass from Alyssa Siljendahl (Duluth, Minn. / Hermantown) and blasted toward the Falcons goal. The ball sored over the head of River Falls Amanda LaDue to secure St. Kate's third win of the 2016 season.

With the win over River Falls, the Wildcats start the season with a 3-0 record for the first time since Citowicki took over as head coach in 2012. Since then, St. Kate's has undergone one of the biggest turnarounds in program history as it strives to become a top team in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC).

"Games like this are proof that we are starting to turn the corner as a program," Citowicki commented. "I'm very proud."

With the weekend behind them, the Wildcats will now receive some much needed rest before their next game. St. Kate's will return to the pitch on Friday, September 9, when it travels to La Crosse, Wisconsin to take on UW-La Crosse in a nonconference match up. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m.