Soccer loses in 2nd round to Central Oklahoma

The Mavericks are out of the NCAA playoffs, end the season with an overall record of 19-3-1

Bobbi Patrick
Staff Writer

The Minnesota State women’s soccer team’s season was cut short this past Sunday at the hands of the Central Oklahoma Bronchos, 3-1, in Edmond, Oklahoma.

The Mavs went head-to-head in the second round of the 2018 NCAA D-II Tournament, after coming off a first round victory versus Emporia State on Friday, which they won in overtime, 2-1, to move on to the second round game on Sunday.

Central Oklahoma, who was seeded No. 1 in the Central Regional, was the opponent that the Mavs would inevidably face on Sunday.

At the start of the game, the Bronchos were outshot by the Mavericks, 7-5, in the first half. 

Central Oklahoma scored the first two goals of the game in the first half, one in the 2nd minute of the game and another in the 22nd minute of the game, until the Mavs were finally able to crack the scoreboard in the 33rd minute of the game from junior Dakota Wendell with an assist from junior Bri Ciaccio.

The Mavericks held up great defense against the Bronchos, who unfortunately ended up scoring their final goal in the 84th minute of the game to put the finishing touches on the Mavs.

The Mavericks managed to still outshoot the Bronchos, 18-15, during the game, but it failed to show up on the scoreboard for the Mavs.

While the Mavs are knocked out of tournament, there’s a lot the team has to be proud of. 

Senior Abby Hausken surpassed the most minutes played record in a career in the second half of the game with 6,551 minutes. Also making the list was senior Maddy Burandt, who is sixth all-time with 6,160 minutes.

Wendell scored 17 goals this season and had 41 total assists, including five game-winning goals of those 17. She earned the seventh highest all-time goals in one season and eighth in assists for Minnesota State history. 

Wendell was also named first team all-district for her achievements this season as well as her academic performances.

Junior goalie Alexa Rabune was second highest in Minnesota State history with 19 wins, and her 81 goals being 7th all time. Her 12 shutouts made her third in a single season. Her save percentage of .811 landed her seventh in that category as well.

Senior Morgan Cottew capped off her last season with many career highs, which included a tie for second highest assists, and is tied for fourth in goals in one season. 

She also earned fourth for assists, points and game winning goals. Rounding off her all-time bests, she also finished 10th in career shots with 222.

The Mavericks beat the Bemidji State Beavers for their third NSIC Conference title in a row. This was the eighth consecutive season they had made it into the NCAA Tournament. 

The Mavericks end the season with an overall record this season of 19-3-1, as they now look forward to the future.

Feature photo by Mansoor Ahmad | MSU Reporter.