The Gustavus Women’s Soccer team hosted both Carleton and Minnesota-Morris on Oct. 19 and 20.
Against Carleton, the Gusties lost a close battle by a score of 1-0.
There was no scoring in the first 90 minutes, which led to overtime.
The Knights were able to score the game winner on a penalty kick that went just past Senior goalkeeper Ashley Becker’s outstretched hands. Becker had nine saves on the day.
The next day the Gusties won 3-0, behind some fantastic defensive play and creative offense. With the win, Gustavus moved to 4-11 overall, and UM-Morris fell to 4-8.
Gustavus put on an offensive showcase in this game, as they had 35 shots. The defense held strong too, only allowing 2 shots.
Becker only had to make only one save on the day.
In the 33rd minute, Junior Maddie McDermott scored off of a corner from Junior Lauren Johnson to take a 1-0 lead for the Gusties.
The score held 1-0 at halftime, but it did not last long. First-year Annika Lewis had a shot blocked in the 48th minute that McDermott was able to clean up and put in the back of the net for her second goal of the game.
The Gusties got their third goal in the 70th minute, as Junior Page Cocchiarella played a nice through ball that Junior Kari Cammerer was able to direct past the goalkeeper.
This would be the last score of the game, as it finished 3-0 in favor of the Gusties.
The theme of the day was firsts, as Cammerer and McDermott were able to score their first collegiate goals.
Lewis also recorded her first collegiate point on the assist to McDermott.
Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie was happy with the contributions she got from various different players.
“Today’s game was great for us as we got to play a majority of our roster,” Burnett-Kurie said. “We played people in some slightly different positions and they handled the moment very well. Another emphasis for us was about being creative in the attack and they really showed that in the second half.”
The creativity they showed in the attack worked quite well, as this was the Gusties highest scoring output of any game so far this season.
“I think we were all really motivated to get a win. Everyone went into the game with a lot of energy and we were all able to encourage one another to work hard and put away some goals,” Junior Katie Ashpole said.
In their next game, the Gustavus Women’s soccer team lost a defensive showdown by a score of 1-0.
The Gusties traveled to Moorhead to take on a tough Concordia team. Before this game, the Cobbers were 8-7 overall and 1-7 in the MIAC.
Coming off a 3-0 win against UM-Morris, Gustavus was looking to keep the momentum going.
The Cobbers scored first in the 15th minute, which turned out to be the only goal for both teams in this game.
The Gusties still had a good offensive showing, as they had ten shots on the day. Seven of those shots were on goal.
Becker made five saves in the contest, increasing her season total to 99.
Gustavus is out of the playoff conversation, but the team still has something to prove and will look to finish the year strongly.
Ashpole knows the importance of finishing on a positive note and is hoping to gain some momentum for next season.
“I think we need to be willing to give it our all. Especially because we only have two games left, we need to be willing to give 100% and finish the season on a really high note. These last two games are going to lay the foundation for next season and everyone needs to work hard so that we can go into next season really motivated,” Ashpole said.
The Gusties followed through with their goals in their match against Hamline Oct. 30.
The team took it to the Pipers, earning their third MIAC win of the season by a score of 3-0.
On Nov. 2, the season comes to a close as the Gusties play their final game against Macalester College 3:30 p.m. at home.