Coming off a red-hot win over nationally-ranked No. 24 University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, the St. Catherine University soccer team had all the momentum it needed to take down the top Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) team in Gustavus Adolphus College. Thanks to a heroic performance from
Hannah Okerstrom (Bayport, Minn./Stillwater), the Wildcats claimed a thrilling 2-1 upset to set new program records for overall and conference wins Saturday in St. Peter, Minnesota.
With the victory the Wildcats improved to 10-5-1 on the season surpassing a school record for wins set in 2012. The Wildcats' five MIAC wins also the most in program history and helps the team remain in a tie for fifth with three other teams.
The Wildcats dominated the first half with a 7-3 advantage over the Gusties in shots, but it appeared as though the two teams might enter halftime in a stalemate. That was until Okerstrom found the back of the net in the 43rd minute beating Gustie keeper Ashley Becker for her 10th goal of the season.
With a 1-0 lead going into the second half, the Wildcats were looking for insurance to make sure the Gusties couldn't mount a comeback. Then, in the 63rd minute, the Wildcats got just what they needed from cluth Okerstrom. The junior took a set up from
Allie Boucher (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater) to beat Becker for the second time on the day and her MIAC-best 11th goal of the season.
The Gusties mounted pressure in the second half – they had a 8-4 lead in shots – and tried to make things interesting when they final found a way to get past
Danielle Mendez (Bloomington, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels) on a goal from Courtney Edwards in the 85th minute.
Fortunately, the Wildcats managed to hold off the Gusties to hand them just their second MIAC loss of the season.
Mendez tallied six saves for the second time in as many games to pick up her career-best ninth win of the season in goal for the Wildcats. Okerstrom,
Hannah Brown (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South) and
Grace Lowry (Minneapolis, Minn./North) each had two shots to lead the Wildcat attack. With her two goals, Okerstrom now leads the MIAC and the team in goals and is second in the league with 24 points.
The Wildcats return to MIAC action Wednesday as they head south to take on Saint Mary's University for a 7 p.m. game in Winona, Minnesota.
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