Emily Skogseth
ST. PETER, Minn. – On an overcast day at the Gustie Soccer Field, the Gustavus women’s soccer team shined through with its third straight shutout victory, defeating the University of Wisconsin-River Falls 1-0 on Wednesday, improving to 3-3-1 overall.
“We got a lot of players into the game and it was great to see how they impacted the game and what they were able to create from it,” Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie said. “And it’s nice to know that we have a lot of depth, especially getting into the real meat of the schedule and our conference schedule. It’s good for our players to get experience, get them into a game and get their confidence up as well. That’s what this game was all about and it was great to see.”
Gustavus knocked on the door early in the first half with a pair of close shots in the first six minutes of play, but it wasn’t until the 16th minute that it broke through with the game’s only score. Sophie Leininger (So., Plymouth, Minn.) scored her first collegiate goal after she collected a pass from Josie Mazzone (So., Rapid City, S.D.) and fired it past the keeper on the left side of the goal.
“It was really well deserved,” Burnett-Kurie said of Leininger’s goal. “She’s such a playmaker so its nice to see her actually put it in the back of the net. She gets herself into dangerous situations a lot and usually she’s the one dishing the assists out, and this time it was good to see her on the other end of it. So hopefully it breaks the ice and gets her rolling.”
The Gusties tallied six shots in the first half and nine in the second for 15 total, while the Falcons took four shots in the first and were unable to get a shot off in the second.
Keeper Ashley Becker (Fy., Farmington, Minn.) made two saves in the shutout victory.
The Gusties return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play at 3:30 p.m., Sept. 26 as they host the University of St. Thomas.