ST. PETER, Minn. – With a win or tie Saturday, the Gustavus women’s soccer team would clinch its first ever MIAC Playoff berth since the league initiated its playoff system in 2003. The Gusties (10-4-1, 7-1-0 MIAC) host St. Catherine (9-5-1, 4-4 MIAC) at 1 p.m. tomorrow in a battle of two playoff contenders. Gustavus is currently in first place in the league standings with 21 points and puts its unbeaten home record of 6-0-1 on the line against the fifth place Wildcats at the Gustie Soccer Field.
Live online coverage of tomorrow’s match begins at 1 p.m.
GUSTAVUS LINKS: ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
ST. KATE’S LINKS: ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
The Gusties wrapped up their non-conference schedule Wednesday with a 1-0 win over the University of Wisconsin-Stout in St. Peter, which marked the first 10-win season for Gustavus since 2001. The Gusties and Blue Devils played to a 0-0 tie in the first half, with UW-Stout controlling possession for a majority of the period, forcing Gustavus to rely heavily on its defenders.
In the second half, the Gusties seemed to find their groove and began controlling the ball more consistently. Then, a UW-Stout foul at the 71:57 mark gave Gustavus defender Emily Odermatt (So., Minneapolis, Minn.) a free kick on the right side of the field and mere feet in front of the center line. Odermatt sent her kick soaring high towards the goal, the ball took a large bounce, and skipped over Blue Devil goalie Paige Meyer’s left shoulder and into the bottom left corner of the net, untouched by any other player. The goal was Odermatt’s second of the season and gave Gustavus all it would need to come away with the win.
Gustavus outshot UW-Stout 11-4 on the day, including a 7-3 mark on goal, and also held a 3-0 advantage in corner kicks. All of the Gustie corner kicks came in the second half.
Ashley Becker (Fy., Farmington, Minn.) reached the double digit mark in the win column on the season as the rookie keeper picked up her 10th win between the posts after playing the full 90 minutes. Becker is now 10-4-1 on the year with a 0.97 goals against average and a .824 save percentage (1st/MIAC).
After 15 matches this season, Maddison Ackiss (Jr., Fairbanks, Alaska) remains the top goal-scorer for the Gusties with eight. Sophie Leininger (So., Plymouth, Minn.) is the leader in assists with nine (1st/MIAC), which is one shy of tying the program record for most assists in a season.
St. Catherine University is coming off a 2-0 upset victory over No. 24-ranked UW-La Crosse on Wednesday in St. Paul. With the win, the Wildcats have now won five of their last six outings and have matched their program record for most wins in a season with nine.
Molly Hayes (Fy., South St. Paul, Minn.) scored what proved to be the game winner Wednesday in the 39th minute. The second goal of the game was recorded by Hannah Okerstrom (Jr., Bayport, Minn.) and assisted by Kelly Molitor (Jr., Lakeville, Minn.) in the final minute of play. After 15 matches this season, Okerstrom leads the MIAC with nine goals. Elly Leyva (Sr., San Jacinto, Calif.) leads the team in assists with six. And Danielle Mendez (Sr., Bloomington, Minn.) is the top keeper on the team with an 8-5-1 record, 0.92 goals against average and a .772 save percentage.
MAKE A DONATION
Saturday’s game is designated as Gustavus’ Yuwa charity game. Yuwa is based in northeast India and helps solve critical youth social issues. Yuwa uses soccer as a platform to improve girls’ health, education and livelihood. Gustavus women’s soccer encourages all fans to stop by the Yuwa table to make a donation and learn more about its sister soccer program in India. Yuwa would like to thank you in advance for your support.