Meghan McMillan brings the ball up field as St. Thomas' Stephanie McCartan (7) and Tess Hanson (12) defend. McMillan scored the game-winner in the 49th minute.
Meghan McMillan made the most of Senior Day for the Gustavus women’s soccer team, as the Gusties’ lone senior scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 upset over the University of St. Thomas Saturday in St. Peter, Minn. The Minneapolis, Minn. native weaved through the middle of Tommie defense and found the lower-left corner of the net at the 49:35 mark, notching her first goal of the season.
“Meghan scored a great goal,” Gustavus Head Coach Mike Stehlik said. “Senior Day, last home game, she scored a great goal. That’s what you expect, she did it and all the credit in the world goes to her. You talk about someone who has the right type of attitude, energy and desire; Meghan McMillan has it all and she’ll be sorely missed.”
St. Thomas outshot the Gusties 14-to-8, but was unable to get off a clean shot on Gustavus keeper Jessica Richert who recorded five saves in the contest. Richert surpassed the 100-save mark on the season and now has a league-leading 102 saves.
The Tommies’ best opportunity to net the equalizer came in the 65th minute of the second half on a breakaway by Anna Strehlow, but the junior midfielder’s shot sailed just inches over the crossbar.
Gustavus sophomore defender Estee Berg battles for possession against Nicole Sheehan.
With the victory, Gustavus ended a four-game losing streak against St. Thomas and recorded its first win against the Tommies in St. Peter since 1997. The Gusties improve to 4-11-0 overall and 2-7-0 in the MIAC, while UST falls to 7-5-2 overall and 4-3-2 in conference play.
The Gusties’ 2011 campaign will come to an end next week with two conference match-ups on the road in St. Paul. Gustavus will travel to St. Catherine University on Wednesday for a 3:30 p.m. game and the season finale will be against Macalester next Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
Senior Meghan McMillan received flowers from teammates Nikki Carlson (5) and Kristin Moen (9) on Senior Day.
As is tradition at Gustavus, the final home game of the regular season is designated as Senior Day and a special tribute is made to the individuals who have dedicated themselves to the Gustavus women’s soccer program for the past four years. This year, the Athletic Department and would like to extend a sincere thank you to this season’s lone senior Meghan McMillan for her dedication and commitment to Gustie women’s soccer.