Arden Hills, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus women’s soccer team was defeated by Bethel University 2-1 in overtime on Wednesday afternoon at the Ona Orth Soccer Complex. The loss marks the sixth game in the last eight the Gusties have played where they were defeated by a single goal. With the loss, Gustavus falls to 0-8-2 in the MIAC and 1-13-3 overall, while Bethel moves to 5-5-0 in the MIAC and 6-8-3 overall.
“Another hard fought game by the girls, but once again, the ball just didn’t bounce our way,” said head coach Laura Burnett-Kurie. “We were pleased with our tempo and how we controlled the ball and felt good about how we kept their defense on guard for a majority of the game.”
Gustavus looked to be in prime position to secure its first conference win of the season when Maddison Ackiss (So., Fairbanks, Alaska) got the Gusties on the board at the 46:21 mark off an assist from Sophie Leininger (Fy., Plymouth, Minn.). The goal was Ackiss’s ninth of the season and the assist was Leininger’s second of the year.
“Maddison’s goal came off of a cheeky ball threaded through the backline by Sophie Leininger,” said Burnett-Kurie. “Both Maddison and Sophie have made great strides this season and it was fun to see the chemistry they’ve developed create a beautiful play like that.”
Gustavus kept it’s lead for a little more than 15 minutes before Bethel’s Savannah Swanson got the Royals on the board at 63:38 on a pass from teammate Samantha Provost to knot things up at 1-1. The two teams stayed scoreless for the remainder of regulation, but approximately one and a half minutes into the extra period, Bethel’s Jessica Huseby secured the sudden death victory for the Royals off a pass from Erin Ness.
Gustavus again struggled to keep up with its opponent on the shot chart, with Bethel taking 16 shots and Gustavus taking eight. Roisen Granlund (So., St. Paul, Minn.) suffered the complete-game loss between the posts after allowing two goals and making six saves to bring her record to 0-5-0 on the year.
“With only one game remaining in the year, we are looking to keep up the tempo we showed tonight and finish our season strong with a victory,” said Burnett-Kurie.
Gustavus will wrap up its 2014 season on Saturday when it hosts Hamline University at the Gustie Soccer Field in a 1 p.m. game. As is tradition at Gustavus, with it being the final home game of the regular season the team has designated the game as Senior Day and a special tribute will be made to the individuals who have dedicated themselves to the Gustavus women’s soccer program for the past four years.