EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The College of Saint Benedict soccer team put up plenty of shots Saturday afternoon in a nonconference matchup against UW-Eau Claire – they just didn't land quite where CSB needed them to.
Saint Benedict outshot the Blugolds 17-8, but fell 3-1 in the team's second game in as many days. That marked the end of nonconference play for CSB, which heads to Concordia Tuesday to start the MIAC season.
Megan Thompson had several shots early – one on net and two off – but CSB couldn't get anything going.
Kendall Koenen made an early save to keep UWEC (3-2) off the board, but the Blugolds scored the first goal of the game at 38:29 to take a 1-0 lead, and that's where the score stayed heading into halftime.
Clair Lehmann had a shot on net early in the second half, but the Blugolds notched a second goal five minutes in to go up 2-0 and put the pressure on. Thompson had another shot that was saved a few minutes later, but she got CSB on the board and cut the gap to one goal with her seventh goal of the season at the 58:41 mark.
Thompson put another shot on less than two minutes later, and Koenen made another save, but Eau Claire sealed the win with a third goal at the 69:21 mark to make it 3-1.
Thompson and
Clara Noack had back-to-back shots on net that were both saved, and Lehmann put a shot on net in the 84
th minute, but Eau Claire's keeper kept everything out of the net.
Of CSB's 17 shots, nine were on net. Thompson finished with five shots on net and Lehmann chipped in with three. Koenen made four saves in the loss.
Saint Benedict – which is 3-2-1 overall – heads to Moorhead for a 4 p.m. game Tuesday against the Cobbers. The team is back at home Saturday against Hamline.
