SUPERIOR, Wis. – The St. Catherine University soccer team used a dominant second-half performance and a late goal from Bella Meier to earn a 1-0 road victory over the University of Wisconsin-Superior on Wednesday evening at SCCU Stadium.
The Wildcats controlled play throughout the night, outshooting the Yellowjackets 32-3, including a commanding 26-0 advantage in the second half. St. Catherine put 13 attempts on frame and generated 11 corner kicks while holding UW-Superior without a corner.
Despite the pressure, the match remained scoreless through the opening 84 minutes. St. Kate's finally broke through in the 85th minute when Meier found the back of the net at 84:53 off an assist from Navaya McCorkle. The goal was Meier's third of the season and proved to be the game-winner.
Meier was at the center of the Wildcats' attack, finishing with a game-high eight shots and three shots on goal. Ali Owens added four attempts with three on target, while Emily Olson finished with four shots. Lillia Gray put both of her attempts on goal as St. Catherine continually tested UW-Superior goalkeeper Baylee Nygard, who finished with 12 saves.
The Wildcat defense was equally impressive, limiting the Yellowjackets to just three first-half shots and zero attempts over the final 45 minutes. UW-Superior managed only one shot on goal for the entire match.
Brianna Valdez started in goal for St. Catherine and made one save over 81:02 before Maggie Mueller closed out the final 8:58. The duo combined for the clean sheet as the Wildcats secured their fourth victory of the season.
With the win, St. Catherine improves to 4-3-0 overall returning to St. Paul on Saturday hosting the College of Saint Benedict Bennies at 1 pm.
