Collegeville, Minn. – After notching its first victory of the season this past Tuesday against Crown College, the Gustavus Adolphus women’s soccer team could not keep the momentum flowing on Saturday afternoon in a MIAC matchup with the College of Saint Benedict. The Gusties fell 3-0 to the MIAC-leading Blazers to bring their record to 1-5-2 (0-2-1 MIAC), while Saint Benedict moves to 8-1-1 (3-0-0 MIAC).
“We came out strong from the start and created several dangerous opportunities from the get-go,” said head coach Laura Burnett-Kurie. “If we had been able to put one of those away it would have changed the dynamic of the game.”
Saint Benedict outshot Gustavus 9-1 in the opening 30 minutes and the Blazer’s 10th shot by Taylor Hedin from Gracie Vaughan went past Gustie goalkeeper Caroline Olson (Sr., York, Penn.) to put the Blazers up 1-0 at the 30:18 mark. Saint Ben’s scored its next goal exactly 30 minutes later on a Jenna Kleason header from Mariah Williams.
“Eventually it came down to set pieces, which going into the game we know they were strong on,” said Burnett-Kurie. “That proved true as their first two goals were off corners. For the first 60 minutes, we played hard and battled which is promising against a top team in, not only the conference, but the region.”
The Blazers scored their final goal less than 30 seconds after their third goal on an unassisted goal by Vaughan. Vaughan’s goal and assist on the day put her at 10 total points on the season.
Saint Benedict outshot Gustavus 26-8 on the day and it also held the advantage on corner kicks 4-2.
Blazer keepers Megan Favorite and Heather Kaluzniak split time between the posts, marking the sixth time this season the two keepers have split halves to combine for a clean sheet. Olson took the loss for the Gusties after allowing three goals and making six saves.
“It was quite promising to see players step up and work hard to make a difference and positively impact the game,” said Burnett-Kurie. “We are goiong to carry those positives into Wednesday’s matchup and we are excited for another tough conference match.”
The Gusties will travel to Winona, Minnesota on Wednesday evening to take on Saint Mary’s University under the lights. That match will begin at 7 p.m.