(photo courtesy of David Faulkner, SPX Sports)
SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s soccer team ended its season Saturday on a high note, shutting out Macalester 1-0 on Senior Day to finish 6-12 overall and 4-7 in the MIAC.
Lucy Thompson (Sr., Edina) scored her second career goal in her 56th and final game, which proved to be the only score of the game. Katie Ashpole (Jr., Chaska) assisted on the goal 5:12 into the game to finish the season with a team-high 12 points.
“It was very fitting for Lucy to come back from what we thought was a season-ending injury to score the game-winning goal in her final game,” Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie said. “It was great to see the fight that everyone had to make sure we got the result we needed today.”
The Gustie defense was stingy all game by not allowing a shot on goal. The Gusties took 14 shots. Today was the first time Gustavus has not allowed a shot on goal since Oct. 23, 2013 in a 4-0 win at Buena Vista.
Gustie keeper Ashley Becker (Sr., Farmington) finishes her career as the program’s all-time saves lead with 397. She accumulated an overall record of 39-31-8 and started all 78 games in her four seasons on the pitch.
“This year we had a lot of ups and downs,” Burnett-Kurie said. “We had a long stretch where we played well but didn’t get the results to show it. We kept at it and stay focused. We kept believing and it was great to go 4-2 over our final six games. It speaks volumes to the leadership this senior class provided the entire season. When we think about how our team evolved over the past two months, our seniors left us in a great place to continue to build towards playoffs next year.”