ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s soccer team heads to Northfield, Minn. Tuesday afternoon for a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference quarterfinal playoff matchup against St. Olaf College beginning at 2 p.m. The Gusties are the No. 6 seed with a 9-5-3 overall record and finished with a 5-4-2 mark in the MIAC, while the No. 3 seed Oles are 9-7-2 overall and finished 6-3-2 in the league.
GUSTIES IN THE POSTSEASON
MIAC playoff appearances (began in 2003): 3 (2015, 2016, 2017)
MIAC playoff championships: 1 (2015, defeated St. Thomas 1-0)
NCAA playoff appearances: 7 (1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 2015)
All-time record in the postseason: 5-8
Furthest into postseason: NCAA tournament second round (3 times – 1998, 1997, 1995)
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE REGULAR SEASON – GUSTIES VS. OLES
The Gustavus women’s soccer team got back in the win column Sept. 27 following a shutout loss, defeating St. Olaf 3-1.
“We played a solid 90 minutes today,” Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie said. “We had many dangerous looks in the first half and it was great to see us put three in the back of the net. Their goalkeeper did a great job, preventing us from scoring a few more.”
Fifteen minutes into the contest, Hannah Sturtz (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) scored her third goal of the season on an assist from Lauren Johnson (Fy., Woodbury, Minn.). Then in the 22nd minute, Abby Mullenbach (So., Lakeville, Minn.) found the back of the net for the second time this year on an assist from Emily Skogseth (Jr., Burnsville, Minn.). The Oles ended the shutout in the 29th minute, but nearly six minutes later Judith Hepburn (So., North Pole, Alaska) scored her first goal of the season, assisted by Josie Mazzone (Sr., Rapid City, S.D.), for a 3-1 Gustavus lead, which stood at halftime.
Neither team was able to score in the final 45 minutes as the Gusties outshot the Oles 21-12, including a 12-6 advantage in the first half. Gustavus also had eight corner kick opportunities to St. Olaf’s two. Ashley Becker (Jr., Farmington, Minn.) made three saves in the complete game effort.
“In the second half we were able to control the tempo of the game,” Burnett-Kurie said. “Our backline did a great job of keeping our shape. St. Olaf can score at any point so it was nice to see us focus on all the little details.
“Lauren Johnson was exceptional in the midfield. We were a bit unlucky to not score again in the second half.”
LAST TIME OUT
The Gusties dropped their regular season finale 1-0 to Macalester on Saturday at the Gustie Soccer Field.
“We fought hard and battled,” Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie said. “There were times where we turned it on and hit a different level and there were times that we got caught up, so we just need to turn it on right from the get-go and play 90 minutes that way. How hard we fought is a good tribute to the seniors. It was fun to see Emily Odermatt move up the field, I think she got her four-year wish of being more of an attacking player.”
Macalester scored the lone goal of the game at the 23:22 mark of the first period. The Gusties outshot the Scots 17-5 and had nine more corner kick opportunities, but were unable to get the ball in the back of the net.
“The big thing moving forward is pairing up our hard work with composure on the ball and recognizing the situations we’re in and making sure that we finish our chances,” Burnett-Kurie said.
THE SERIES
Tuesday’s game marks the 44th all-time meeting between Gustavus and St. Olaf. The Gusties lead the series 23-16-4.
SCOUTING THE GUSTIES
After 17 games this season, Chase Miller (Jr., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) leads the team with 11 points on four goals and three assists. Sophie Leininger has nine points on two goals and five helpers. Becker has started all 17 games in goal with a 0.68 goals against average and .868 save percentage.
GUSTAVUS ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
SCOUTING THE OLES
St. Olaf is coming off a 2-1 double overtime loss at Augsburg on Saturday, which decided the MIAC champion. Emily Helle scored the lone Ole goal of the game, her second of the season, while Brynne Davis made nine saves in goal. After 18 games this season, Abby Stets leads the team with 17 points on seven goals and three assists. Mackenzie Schoustra is next with 14 points on six goals and two assists. Davis has started 14 games in net with a 1.22 goals against average and .750 save percentage.