ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Clara Noack waited for just the right moment to score her first goal of the 2021 season.
Her goal Saturday at Macalester proved to be the different as the College of Saint Benedict soccer team went on to defeat the Scots 1-0 in St. Paul. That win moved the Bennies into second in the MIAC and secured the team’s fourth straight MIAC Tournament berth.
For her timely goal, Noack is this week’s CSB Athlete of the Week.
Noack – who assisted on a goal in the team’s first game of the season at Minnesota-Morris – scored early in Saturday’s game. Following a Bennie corner kick, she got the ball for Grace Navara and found the back of the net at the 5:22 mark, giving her teammates plenty of time to score an insurance goal or two against the Scots.
But that 1-0 lead held, and Noack’s goal – the fourth of her career – proved to be the game-winner. That goal, coupled with a Saint Mary’s loss, bumped CSB up to second in the conference with just two games left in the regular season. The top two teams in the conference get byes in the first round of the MIAC Tournament – which starts Monday, Nov. 1 – and host a second-round game on Wednesday, Nov. 3.
The win also allowed the Bennies, who are 8-3-3 overall and 6-1-2 in the MIAC, to secure a spot in the MIAC Tournament. CSB, the Cardinals and St. Kate’s have all secured a spot in the six-team tournament so far. In 2019, the Bennies won their first conference tournament game since 2013 when they beat Carleton 3-2 before falling 5-1 to Augsburg in the semifinals.
Noack and her teammates wrap up the regular season with a pair of conference contests this week. Saint Benedict travels to Duluth Wednesday to take on St. Scholastica at 3:30 p.m., and hosts the Knights at 3:30 p.m. Sunday to end the regular season. Sunday is also senior day, and Noack will be recognized along with Margo Achterkirch, Makayla Firminger and Roxy Veldman.
