Emily Skogseth (25) dribbles past an Augsburg defender. Skogseth scored the first goal of the game.
ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s soccer team claimed a key league win Saturday afternoon as it defeated Augsburg 2-1 in a battle of the top two teams in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Gusties improve to 7-4-1 overall and 5-1-0 in the MIAC with 15 points, which is good for sole possession of first place in the conference standings.
“This is what we have been working for, to be able to compete with the top teams in the MIAC,” Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie said. “We knew going into today that this is what we’ve been working for and we wanted to make a statement. We wanted to prove that we deserve to be at the top. Augsburg is a great side, they are very dangerous and created a lot of opportunities, but our defense held steadfast and we were still able to attack from it.”
After a scoreless first half that saw five shots by Gustavus and four by Augsburg, the Gusties scored the first goal of the game in the 52nd minute. The Gustie women built up the play on the right-hand side as Sophie Leininger (So., Plymouth, Minn.) played it to Emily Skogseth (Fy., Burnsville, Minn.), who was central, as she faked to her left, cut back to her right and ripped a shot from 25 yards that skipped right underneath the crossbar for the goal. Leininger now has eight assists this season, which are two behind the Gustavus season record.
The Gusties then took a 2-0 advantage in the 69th minute on a similar goal to the first. Josie Mazzone (So., Rapid City, S.D.) got into the attack as the outside back and played it into Chaselyn Miller (Fy., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) who faked to her left, went back to her right and scored far post for her second goal of the season.
The Auggies scored their first goal of the game with :42 seconds remaining in the match, but that would be it as the Gusties came away with the win. Gustie keeper Ashley Becker (Fy., Farmington, Minn.) tallied two saves in the win.
“I thought we did a great job of keeping possession of the ball,” Burnett-Kurie said. “That helped with our tempo and the rhythm of the game so that it wasn’t just coast-to-coast the whole time.”
The Gusties continue MIAC play at 4 p.m., Oct. 14 as they travel to the College of Saint Benedict.