MOORHEAD, Minn. – The St. Catherine University women's soccer team closed out the regular season with a 3-1 victory over Concordia College on Saturday afternoon at the Jake Christiansen Athletic Complex. After falling behind early, the Wildcats responded with three unanswered goals to secure their 14th win of the season.
With the victory, St. Catherine improves to 14-3-1 overall and finishes MIAC play with a 9-1-1 conference record and the No. 2 seed in the postseason. The Wildcats earn a bye to the semifinals for the fourth consecutive postseason.
Concordia struck first in the sixth minute when Tyra Skjeret found the back of the net off an assist from Emma Sheflo, giving the Cobbers an early 1-0 advantage.
The Wildcats answered in the 22nd minute as senior Bella Meier scored her 10th goal of the season, finishing a pass from Lydia Benson to even the score at 1-1. St. Catherine controlled much of the opening half, outshooting Concordia 8-2 while earning four corner kicks.
Coming out of halftime, the Wildcats wasted little time taking control. Just over two minutes into the second half, Jaidyn Richter scored her third goal of the season off an assist from Ceci Emery, putting St. Catherine ahead 2-1 in the 48th minute. Richter's goal would stand as the game-winner.
St. Catherine continued to apply offensive pressure throughout the second half, firing 14 shots while holding Concordia without a single shot over the final 45 minutes. The Wildcats created several additional scoring opportunities, including a shot from Charlotte Willems that struck the left post in the 78th minute.
The Wildcats added an insurance goal in the 88th minute when senior Katie McGrath found the back of the net off an assist from fellow senior Kylee Newes. The goal marked McGrath's second of the season and extended the St. Catherine lead to 3-1.
St. Catherine dominated the offensive statistics, finishing with a 22-2 advantage in total shots and a 16-1 edge in shots on goal. The Wildcats also held a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Richter, Meier and McGrath each recorded three shots, with Richter and McGrath putting all three of their attempts on target. Emery led the Wildcats with four total shots and added an assist, while Benson contributed two shots on goal and an assist.
In goal, Brianna Valdez played all 90 minutes to earn the victory, supported by a Wildcats defensive unit that limited the Cobbers to just two first-half shots and none in the second half.
The victory caps a strong regular-season campaign for the Wildcats, who finish with 14 overall wins and just one loss in conference competition as they turn their attention to postseason play.
The Playoffs will officially begin on Tuesday, November 3, with a pair of quarterfinal contests. No. 3 St. Olaf (8-2-1) will host No. 6 Bethel (5-4-2) in the opening round, while No. 4 Saint Benedict (7-1-3) will take on No. 5 Macalester (6-5-0). Both kickoffs are tentatively set for 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
The two quarterfinal winners will advance to Thursday's semifinals, where No. 1 Carleton and No. 2 St. Catherine will be waiting. The bracket will reseed after the first round, matching the lowest remaining seed against the top-seeded Knights, while the Wildcats will welcome the higher seed. The semifinal contests are tentatively scheduled for 2:00 p.m. kickoffs on November 5.
Thursday's two semifinal winners will meet on Saturday, November 7, in the 2026 MIAC Women's Soccer Playoff championship game. The game is tentatively scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The MIAC Playoff champion will receive the playoff championship trophy and the Conference's automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament.
