ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s soccer team heads to St. Paul, Minn. Saturday afternoon for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff championship against St. Catherine University beginning at 1 p.m. Both squads upset the entire playoff field as the No. 6 seed Gusties defeated No. 3 St. Olaf and No. 2 St. Thomas, while the No. 5 seed Wildcats beat No. 4 Saint Ben’s and No. 1 Augsburg.
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 (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2015)
All-time record in the postseason: 7-8
Furthest into postseason: NCAA tournament second round (3 times – 1995, 1997, 1998)
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE REGULAR SEASON – GUSTIES VS. WILDCATS
The Gusties used three first half goals en route to a shutout over St. Catherine University on Oct. 21 at the Gustie Soccer Field to snap a three-game winless streak.
“We put together a solid 90 minutes,” said Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie. “We kept our heads in a pressure situation and moved the ball really well. We had a lot of different looks at the goal and it was awesome to put three away in the first half.”
Sophie Leininger (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) put the Gusties on the board first, scoring her second goal of the season at the 28th minute with help from Kylie Lamberty (Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D.).
Ten minutes later, Josie Mazzone (Sr., Rapid City, S.D.) found space and took a nice shot past the Wildcat keeper to notch her second goal of the season, unassisted. Gustavus added another near the end of the first half when a centered ball from Sally Morrow (Jr., St. Peter, Minn.) went off a St. Kate’s defender for an own goal.
“It is great for our leaders to step up,” Burnett-Kurie commented. “I think everyone stepped up today. Because we were so versatile that creates opportunities for some of our big-time players to step up.”It was nice to see Sophie get a goal, and Josie’s was a great individual effort.”
The Black and Gold led 6-2 in shots as they took the 3-0 lead into the intermission. They kept the pressure on in the final 45 minutes as well, outshooting the Wildcats 9-5 and leading 3-1 in corner kick opportunities.
Ashley Becker (Jr., Farmington, Minn.) made two saves in the complete game effort to tally her seventh shutout of the season.
“The biggest thing now is to take it one game at a time. We believe our destiny is still in our own hands as long as we push to get the results we know we can get,” Burnett-Kurie said.
LAST TIME OUT
Double overtime wasn’t enough to decide a winner in Wednesday’s MIAC women’s soccer semifinal playoff match. Tied 1-1 after 110 minutes and forced to penalty kicks, Gustavus keeper Ashley Becker came up big with two stops and the Gusties, seeded No. 6, made all four attempts to upset No. 2 seed St. Thomas and advance to the MIAC championship game for the second time in three seasons.
It didn’t take long for the Gusties to gain some momentum as Abby Mullenbach (So., Lakeville, Minn.) scored 1:15 into the game, assisted by Emily Skogseth (Jr., Burnsville, Minn.). In the 22nd minute, St. Thomas responded with a goal and the score remained tied 1-1 at halftime.
“It was a very exciting game today,” Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie said. “Loved the determination and fight we played with. We came out strong from the first whistle, scoring within the first two minutes of the game off a well crafted corner kick. We moved the ball well and had territorial advantage for the majority of the first 15 minutes before they changed shape.”
In the waning moments of the second half, Becker made a game-saving stop on a Tommie shot fired from inside the box, which eventually led to overtime. Each team got one shot off in the first overtime, and the Tommies recorded the only shot in double overtime, but no goals resulted in penalty kicks.
“Second half we came out with a lot of fight and heart,” Burnett-Kurie said. “We trusted each other and played for each other. Our entire roster dug deep in the second half forcing the game into OT.”
Both teams made their first penalty kick, but Becker made a diving stop on the Tommies’ second attempt. Emily Odermatt (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.) put the Gusties up one with a make, while Becker followed with another stop on the Tommies’ third attempt. The next attempt by each team was made, but Chase Miller (Jr., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) netted the game-winner with a make on the fourth Gustie attempt to complete the upset.
“We’ve been preparing for PK’s and our players trusted their preparation,” Burnett-Kurie said. “They were confident, calm and collected – all of which showed as they buried all four. Absolutely love the fight and heart of this team.”
The Gusties were outshot 15-6 throughout the game, but Becker stood tall in goal with eight saves and two penalty kick stops to earn the win.
THE SERIES
Saturday’s game marks the 19th all-time meeting between Gustavus and St. Kate’s. The Gusties lead the series 10-5-3.
SCOUTING THE GUSTIES
After 19 games this season, Chase Miller leads the team with 13 points on five goals and three assists. Sophie Leininger has 10 points on two goals and six helpers. Ashley Becker has started all 19 games in goal with a 0.65 goals against average and .873 save percentage.
GUSTAVUS ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
St. Kate’s reached the MIAC title match after upsetting Saint Benedict in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats tied the Blazers 1-1, but advanced on penalty kicks 4-3. The Wildcats then upended regular season champion Augsburg 1-0. Allie Bird scored the game’s only goal and Jessica Perez-Adame made seven saves in goal. After 18 games this season, Kaitlin Machovec leads the team in 12 point on five goals and two assists. Madelyn Conners is next with 11 points on five goals and one assist. Perez-Adame has been the top goalkeeper with a 0.96 goals against average and .847 save percentage in 15 games played.