College of Saint Benedict Athletics

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. - The College of Saint Benedict soccer team left no doubt in its season opener, as the Bennies bested the Blugolds of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 3-1, Tuesday, Sept. 1. With the win, CSB opens the season 1-0, while UW-Eau Claire falls to 0-1. 

 

Sophomore Elly Prairie (Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park) led the offense with a career-high three points composed of one goal and an assist. Sophomore Allison Cammerrer (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake) and first-year Lilly DeRosier (Baxter, Minn./Brainerd) each recorded the first goal of their collegiate careers. First-year Mira Jackson (Roseville, Minn./Roseville) also made an immediate impact, as she tallied an assist in her collegiate debut. 

 

Senior Rhianna Anya (Bloomington, Minn./Thomas Jefferson Sr.) notched the win in goal, as she made two saves over the first 45 minutes of the game. Sophomore Anna Mollenhauer (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) closed out the contest between the iron for the Bennies, totaling a career-best seven saves with one goal allowed. 

 

Quickly taking control of the game, the Bennies cracked the scoreboard first in the second minute of play. Junior Gabby Fernholz (Rice, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice) sent a perfectly placed pass to DeRosier, who found her way through a pair of UW-Eau Claire defenders. DeRosier easily fired one off to score the first goal of the season, doing so on her first career shot.  

 

Similar to the first goal, Prairie sent a pass down the middle as Cammerrer snuck past two Blugolds and capitalized on the one-on-one opportunity. The score put the Bennies up, 2-nil, in the 30th minute.  

 

Cammerrer looked poised to score her second goal of the game but landed the shot just wide of the net with a few minutes remaining in the opening half. 

 

Anya kept it a 2-nil game save, as she saved a double deflection off a free kick in the 43d minute.  

 

Once again, Cammerrer had a breakaway opportunity after splitting through UWEC, but the shot narrowly sailed wide left in the final minute of the opening half, sending the Bennies into the break with a 2-nil advantage 

 

After sophomore Scarlett Johanson (South Saint Paul, Minn./South St. Paul Secondary) drew a foul right outside of the penalty mark, sophomore Tatum Janezich (Rogers, Minn./Providence Academy) used the free kick to lace one on target but UWEC's goalie came up with the stop. 

 

Marching quickly down the pitch, Jackson fed Prairie near the net. Prairie spun around and shook her defender before booting her shot into the back corner to make it 3-nil in the 70th minute. 

 

Shortly after the third score for the home team, UW-Eau Claire broke up the shutout, with the goal coming in the 72nd minute of action. The contest remained scoreless the rest of the way,  

 

Saint Benedict will hit the road for two contests in Iowa this weekend. The Bennies will travel to Wartburg College for a 3 p.m. contest Saturday, Sept. 4 before heading to Central College Sunday, Sept. 6 for a 1 p.m. start.