Tuesday afternoon's MIAC semifinal game was a battle of two hungry teams ready to prove their MIAC postseason worth. A pair of second half goals propelled the College of Saint Benedict Blazers to a 2-0 victory over Augsburg College. The Blazers had lost to the Auggies 1-0 on October 24, but were able to gain revenge in Tuesday's playoff game in St. Joseph, Minn. It was the Blazers first victory over Augsburg College since Oct. 14, 2003.

The Blazers now advance to the MIAC finals with the victory and will square off against MIAC regular season champion Concordia College-Moorhead at 1 p.m. Saturday, November 3 in Moorhead, Minn. The Blazers pulled off a 2-1 upset over the Cobbers on Saturday, Oct. 27 in the final game of the regular season. 

After a scoreless first half, the Blazers finally got on the board at the 61:54 mark of the second half when defender Rachel Loftus  (Savage, Minn. /Holy Angels) knocked home a header off of a corner kick from the right foot of Samantha Vanderlinde (Maple Plain, Min. /Watertown-Mayer). It was Loftus' first point of the season for the Blazers. Less than 10 minutes later, junior forward Tina Lisk (Louisville, Colo. /Monarch) drove home the Blazers' second goal of the afternoon – a goal that proved to be the dagger for the Auggies.  

Defensively, the Blazers were dominant once again. Their tenacious attacking style of play stymied the Auggies attack, limiting them to only three shots on the goal. Goalkeeper Shannon Strohm (Burnsville, Minn. (Apple Valley) displayed the same form that helped make her statistically the best goalkeeper in the MIAC during the regular season.

The 162 mile drive to Moorhead is a trip that the Blazer faithful won't have a problem enduring to watch their team play for the MIAC playoff title. A win on Saturday would earn the Blazers an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs.