ST. PAUL, MINN. – After playing one of its best games of the season, the St. Catherine University soccer team entered Saturday afternoon's game against Macalester College hungry for its first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and overall win of the 2017 season. The Wildcats outplayed the visiting Scots in every category, both on defense and on offense, and earned their first point in conference play this season with a 0-0 draw.

St. Kate's outshot Macalester 22-20 in the 110 minutes of play with a 7-3 advantage in shots on goal. However, it was the Scots who managed to get the first shot of the game, as Eliza Neidhart's shot was blocked by a Wildcat back eight minutes into the game. St. Kate's eventually got its first shot of the game 12 minutes in, as Amanda Carey (Hudson, Wis. / Hudson) got off a shot from the far side, but it was unfortunately blocked by a Macalester player.

The Wildcats and Scots continued to battle throughout the remainder of the first half, but neither team managed to score the first goal of the game. Thanks to outstanding defensive play by St. Kate's, starting goalkeeper Tayler Koop (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) did not face a single shot on goal in the first 45 minutes of play, while the Wildcats sent three shots Rachel Wilson-King's way.

After the first 45 minutes of play ended in a 0-0 tie, St. Kate's once again came out firing to start the second half. Molly Hayes (South St. Paul, Minn. / South St. Paul) and Julia Rupp (North Branch, Minn. / North Branch) each had shots in the first five minutes of play in the second half, but Hayes soared wide of the net while Rupp's was blocked by a Scot defender.

Both St. Kate's and Macalester continued to put shots on net in the remaining minutes of play. Jessica Perez-Adame (San Jacinto, Calif. / San Jacinto) made three saves in the second half alone, while Wilson-King stopped all three Wildcat shots. Kaitlin Machovec (Woodbury, Minn. / North St. Paul) kicked two lasers toward the Scot net in the 60^th minute, but Wilson-King was there both times to make the save.

St. Kate's had two chances to take a definitive lead in the final 15 minutes of regulation, as the team was awarded back-to-back corner kicks in the Macalester zone.  In the 77^th minute, the Wildcats appeared to score on a corner kick header by senior back Shannon Hickey (Eden Prairie, Minn. / Visitation). Unfortunately, the goal was called back, as St. Kate's committed a foul on the play. Ten minutes later, Allie Bird (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) broke free of her defender and was one-on-one with Wilson-King. She kicked the ball to the open far post, but at the last minute, Wilson-King's finger grazed the ball and deflected it wide, preserving the 0-0 score.

The two teams headed into the first of two overtime periods after regulation ended in a 0-0 draw. Both the Wildcats and Scots had opportunities to score the game winner in the first 10 minute period but strong defensive kept the score tied. The second overtime yielded similar results, as neither team was able to capitalize in their opponent's offensive zone, resulting in the 0-0 final.

Bird led the team in shots with eight while Machovec added four. The two forwards combined for six shots on goal alone, the highest number for the Wildcats this season.

Perez-Adame earned her first shutout of the season as well. The senior made three saves in 65 minutes of play, including the two overtimes, while Koop did not allow a single goal to score in the opening half.

With the tie, St. Kate's overall record improves to 0-4-1 this season, and the team now has a 0-1-1 mark in MIAC play. The Wildcats will return to the field on Saturday, September 23 when they host Bethel University at 1 p.m. on St. Kate's field.