That’s all folks: Minnesota State Women’s Soccer falls to Bemidji State
It is said that all good things must come to an end, however, sometimes they end sooner than anyone can ever expect.
Last Friday Minnesota State women’s soccer traveled to Chet Anderson Stadium in Bemidji, Minnesota to begin the NCAA tournament. Following their loss in the NSIC Tournament, they looked to rebound and compete for a National Title.
In the first round of play, the Mavericks were victorious against Northwest Missouri State University in a shootout. On the cold tundra, MSU struggled in the first half. Allowing a goal from sophomore forward Adell Gore put them down 1-0 going back to the locker room.
Coming out of the second half the Mavericks started to heat up. Senior forward Nadia Lowery would tie the game 1-1 and force extra time. After two additional periods of play, the Mavericks once again were in a shootout.
This time, however, MSU walked away with the victory and moved on to the second round. Their opponent, however, was familiar with the Bemidji State Beavers. Their stay in the second was short-lived after a 4-2 loss against the Beavers last Sunday eliminated them from the tournament.
In the first half, MSU started strong and outshot the Beavers with 12 shot attempts compared to the single one made by their opponent. At the twenty-five-mark sophomore forward Maillie Mathis scored giving them a 1-0 lead. However, a goal from the Beavers tied the game 1-1 as both teams retreated to the warmth of the locker room at the half.
Entering the second period, momentum started to shift in favor of Beavers. A goal from senior forward Halle Peterson gave Bemidji a 2-1 lead to start the second half. Shortly after, senior forward Jenny Vetter found the back of the net to tie the match and force extra play.
Enter the first period of extra time, neither were able to generate offense. MSU was stonewalled on both shot attempts by senior goalkeeper Alyssa Stumbaugh. The native of Gillette Wyoming forced another period of play after both sides could not score.
The fourth period was unfortunately the bleakest for MSU. Following a yellow card called on sophomore midfielder Ashlyn Watt, The Beavers scored to put them ahead by one.
Vetter tried two more shots but the attempts were unsuccessful. A goal from fifth-year senior Sara Wendt gave the Beavers a 4-2 victory and a pass to the semi-finals, thus ending the phenomenal 22’-23’ season for Minnesota State.
Header Photo: The Minnesota State Women’s soccer team concludes the season Sunday, Nov. 13 with a 4-2 loss against Bemidji State during round two of the NCAA Tournament. (Dylan Engel/The Reporter)
Write to Charlie Groebner at Charles.Groebner@mnsu.edu