ST. PAUL, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict soccer team headed to St. Paul Tuesday afternoon looking to avenge one of its three conference losses from earlier this season, as well as its MIAC tournament loss from last season.
For the third straight meeting between the two teams St. Kate's had other ideas, however.
After 75 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Wildcats found the back of the net, and that's where to score stayed as CSB fell 1-0 to the Wildcats in Tuesday's MIAC Quarterfinal matchup in St. Paul. St. Kate's moves on to face top-seeded St. Thomas Wednesday in the semifinals, while Saint Benedict wraps up the season 8-7-1 overall.
This marks the second straight season CSB has earned a spot in the MIAC playoffs, and the team's 12
th top-five MIAC finish in the last 14 seasons. Saint Benedict took fifth in the league with a 7-3-1 record, its most conference wins since 2014.
Neither team had any solid looks at the net in the first half, and both CSB keeper
Kendall Koenen and the Wildcats' keeper made two saves.
St. Kate's had an opportunity to get on the board early in the second half when it got a hard shot on net, but Koenen fell to the ground to make the save. The rebound popped back out to the Wildcats, but Koenen was able to keep the ball in front of her in the scrum and out of the back of the net.
The Wildcats controlled the ball in CSB's zone much of the second half, and broke open the scoreless tie in the 76
th minute when Allie Bird took a pass from Sofia Campbell in the left side of the box and sent the ball past Koenen on her right side. After scoring, the Wildcats didn't give up another shot the remainder of the game.
St. Kate's finished with 14 total shots to CSB's nine, but both teams had five shots on net.
Sydney Sherek had three shots on net to pace CSB, and Koenen finished the game with four saves.
While St. Kate's (11-3-2) moves on to face St. Thomas, third-seeded Augsburg beat No. 6 St. Olaf 2-0 in Tuesday's other quarterfinal and takes on No. 2 Bethel Wednesday in a MIAC semifinal game.
