LA CROSSE, Wis. – The Gustavus women’s soccer team Sunday battled back and forth with the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and ended in a 0-0 draw after two overtime periods. The tie moves the Gusties to 2-1-1, while the Eagles move to 2-0-2.
“They are a very fast, dangerous team,” Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie said of UW-La Crosse. “They are able to attack so quickly, which is different than anything we’ve seen so far this season. It was great to see our team step up and battle hard.”
Gustavus was outshot in every period, including 12-5 in the first half, 10-8 in the second, and 7-1 in the overtime periods, for a total difference of 29-14. Keeper Ashley Becker (Jr., Farmington, Minn.) was up for the challenge, though, making a career-high 11 saves in a 110-minute shutout.
“Our entire team did a great job defensively,” Burnett-Kurie said. “Ashley Becker had saves that made your jaw drop. We’ve seen them before and she didn’t disappoint today.”
Josie Mazzone (Sr., Rapid City, S.D.) paced the offensive pressure for the Gusties, recording four shots and two on goal. Katie Ashpole (Fy., Chaska, Minn.) also had two shots on goal.
“Playing 110 minutes required any team to dig deep; we showed that grit and fight,” Burnett-Kurie said. “We controlled parts of the overtime periods with our possession and had a couple dangerous looks inside the box. This was a competitive game through the waning seconds.
“La Crosse is a solid team and we are looking forward to building on this performance into conference play.”
Gustavus begins Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play 4 p.m. Tuesday at Carleton College.