ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict soccer team is geared up for the tough final stretch of the 2019 regular season. Luckily for CSB, two of those final three games are at home in St. Joseph, starting with Saturday's matchup against St. Kate's. The two teams face off in a MIAC contest starting at 1 p.m.
 
About the Wildcats
St. Kate's is 6-2 and in third in the MIAC heading into Saturday, and holds a two-point lead over CSB in the conference standings. The Wildcats also have a tough stretch to wrap up the season, as after playing at CSB they play league-leading St. Thomas and then host Bethel. Lauren Witte leads the team and is in the top five in the MIAC with 11 goals this season, and Amanda Elton leads the team with nine assists. Senior keeper Tayler Koop has been solid in net as she has 61 saves and a 1.27 goals-against average.
 
Last Meeting
The Wildcats beat Saint Benedict twice in 2018, including a 1-0 victory in the first round of the MIAC Tournament. A 4-1 win on Oct. 9 in St. Joseph marked the Wildcats' first win over the Bennies in program history. Both teams had five shots on net in the MIAC Tournament, and Kendall Koenen finished with four saves. Abby Welsch scored on a penalty kick in the regular-season game on Oct. 9 and Koenen had 10 saves.
 
The Storyline
Just four points separate the top five teams in the MIAC, and with three games left in the regular season both CSB and St. Kate's are in that top five. Saint Benedict is looking to get back in the W column against the Wildcats as prior to last season's two losses, St. Kate's won in a shootout to advance in the 2017 MIAC Tournament after the two teams played to a double overtime tie. With some of the league's toughest teams still ahead of them down the stretch, both the Bennies and St. Kate's are looking to pick up some momentum Saturday.
 
Who to Watch
CSB's defense has been solid the last two games, giving up just 12 shots on net combined to St. Olaf and St. Thomas. Of the team's 14 games this season, Koenen and the CSB defense have 11 games where opponents have scored once – if at all. Leading the way for the defense is senior Meghan Verkinderen, who leads the team with 1,236 minutes played, and junior midfielder Abby Worthington is fourth with 942 minutes played. Junior forward Megan Thompson is two goals shy of tying the school record for goals in a season with 14 heading into the final stretch of the 2019 regular season.