Archer sinks the Mavs’ game-winning arrow
The Minnesota State women’s soccer team took its show on the road Sunday for a matchup against Concordia University St. Paul.
The Mavericks pulled another rabbit out their hat as they grabbed a winning goal in the dying moments of the match.
In the 89th minute, Maddix Archer received a pass from Libby Spangler and buried it to give the Mavs the lead and the eventual win. It was the freshman’s second goal of the season and it tied her for second on the team in goals overall this season with senior Allie Williams.
Head coach Brian Bahl felt his team did not engage with the opposition enough and let them have too much possession.
“We struggled to be us in the first half. We were far too passive and it gave too much of the ball to Concordia,” Bahl said.
The Mavs flipped the script in the second half and turned up the heat on the Golden Bears. This was evident on the box score. The Mavs took 11 shots in the second half, seven of which were on target as opposed to five in the first half.
“In the second half, we were able to improve on our pressure and did a much better job of compacting the field, allowing us to keep our attack engaged in Concordia’s defensive half for the majority of that second half. We were finally able to capitalize and find one late to get the win,” Bahl said.
The Mavs have a young forward line and that has been an area of the field that has taken some time to get going this season. Bahl continues to stress that composure and staying together is going to be needed for his squad.
“We talk all the time about keeping our composure, staying together as a group and finding a way to get the job done. This group has really bought into that philosophy. Super proud of them and happy to see them rewarded for a great second half,” Bahl said.
Bahl also gave praise to his team’s work ethic and commitment.
“We have an incredible group of ladies, every player on our roster has worked so hard since day one this season. That daily commitment to continuing to raise our bar has made us so much tougher and has prepared us very well for game days,” Bahl said.
Before they headed out for their two-game road stint that included Sunday’s game and a 1-0 victory over rivals Augustana, Bahl spoke about the closeness of his team.
“We’re a young team and I think we’re finding ways to grow closer and closer. I think we can certainly continue to improve in that area always. I think they’ve shown that they care about each other and that they’re in each other’s corner, but I think as we continue to go through the season, that bond will just continue to grow and hopefully we’ll continue to see that translate to more success on the field,” Bahl said.
Header Photo: The Minnesota State Mavericks women’s soccer team is off to a hot start, currently sitting at 4-1-1. They will take on the University of Mary on the road Friday. (Dalton Grubb/The Reporter)
Write to Mohamed Warsame at mohamed.warsame@mnsu.edu