St. Joseph, Minn. - The Saint Benedict soccer team took the field today with rain and temperatures slightly above freezing for a matchup against the Augsburg College Auggies (8-3-4, MIAC 4-3-1). The game almost went the distance until the Blazers scored with 54 seconds remaining in the first overtime to win the game, 2-1.
The Blazers and Auggies played an uneventful first half where both team's defenses came into play. While scoring was at a premium, the Blazers dominated the Auggies in shot total at a count of 14-to-2 in the first half. The Blazers continued to best the Auggies in the shot department for the remainder of the game, ending with a shot total of 32-to-12.
Grace Vaughan (Shakopee, Minn.), led all shooters with seven, including five on goal, while Taylor Hedin (Andover, Minn.) and
Colleen Bouchard (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) each had six.
In the second half the rain picked up, giving way to sloppy field conditions which affected play. Many of the players found themselves slipping and sliding in the mud for the majority of the second half and overtime. With the game looking like a defensive battle any goal looked like it would be a winner.
With 11 minutes remaining in the game, the Auggies' Marie Fitzgerald carried the ball up the field with first-year goalkeeper Heather Kaluzniak (Plymouth, Minn.) charging. Kaluzniak slid for the ball but Fitzgerald chipped it up and over. Sophomore defender,
Ellie Mullen (Portland, Ore.) ran to the goal and, with a diving header, popped the ball up into the air. Kaluzniak recovered and also slid in order to catch the ball when she was hit by an attacker. The referee waved "no goal" and the game remained scoreless.
For the next 10 minutes play was highly contested including three shots in three minutes. At 87:26, however,
Piper Murray (Rosemount, Minn.) accepted a crossing pass from
Aly Hoffman (Chaska, Minn.) six yards out and snuck the ball under the keeper, Katie Gajewski. It was Murray's first goal of the season.
The celebration was short lived when the Auggies returned the favor 25 seconds later. After a turnover off a throw-in, Olivia Muyres scored her MIAC-leading 16th goal of the season, giving her 39 points on the year.
The Blazers and Auggies were then sent into overtime. The Blazers proved to be a dominating force in overtime as they outshot the Auggies 7-to-1 and maintained possession of the ball for most of the first nine minutes. After a few close attempts from the set position by Mullen, Vaughan eventually gained possession with a minute remaining in the overtime period and passed it to Hedin for the game-winning goal. It was Hedin's third goal of the year.
For now, the Blazers have some time to recuperate. The next game will be against Saint Mary's at 1 p.m. on Saturday Oct. 26th at the friendly confines of St. Joseph, Minn.
