SAINT PETER, Minn. – If there's anything the MIAC has learned all season, it's never to count the Gustavus women's soccer team out.
Six days after rallying to tie St. Catherine 3-3, the Gusties recreated the same magic in their final home game of the season, erasing a two-goal deficit late in the second half to tie St. Olaf (10-2-3, 5-2-2 MIAC), 2-2. The Gusties (7-4-5, 2-4-3 MIAC), still in the hunt for a MIAC playoff spot, were victim to two quick Ole goals within 48 seconds of each other, but bounced back with two of their own to pick up a crucial point in the conference standings.
Both teams had their fair share of possession through the first half, with
Jordan Oelkers (Sr., Byron) creating the most threatening scoring chance, as the senior took a feed from her teammates right in front of the box and sent a shot just barely over the left corner of the Ole goal. Oelkers chance was the best on the pitch for the first 45 minutes, but both keepers saved one shot apiece to keep the score deadlocked at 0-0 and set the stage for an eventful second half.
St. Olaf started the scoring in minute 55, breaking down the field and through the Gustie defense. A misplayed ball ended up on the foot of Sadie Klassen, who drilled her 10th goal of the season behind
Katelyn Olson (So., Cloquet) into the bottom left corner. The goal was the spark the visitors needed, as they came right back down the field after kickoff for their next goal, as Clara Kubis lobbed her first of the year over Olson for a 2-2 lead, just 48 seconds later.
The Gusties were far from out of the game, though, scoring their first of the game in minute 64.
Cambelle Waldspurger (Jr., Mahtomedi) sent a sure goal toward the Ole net, but it bounced off the bottom of the crossbar to stay in front of St. Olaf keeper Ava Williams. With players scrambling in the box,
Lillian Selberg (Sr., Minneapolis) collected the ball and scored her first of the season – in her final home game at the Gustie Soccer Field – over the head of Williams to cut the lead in half.
Gustavus nearly mimicked the Ole's quick goal sequence, as a corner kick bounced off the hands of a sprawling Williams, hitting a well-placed Ole defender to stay out of the net just seconds later. The Gusties thrived off the momentum, though, with Waldspurger stepping up to be the hero for the offense once more. The junior took an impressive feed from the foot of
Haillee Wilson (Jr., Ashland, Wis.), juked a pair of Ole defenders, and sent her fifth of the year over the hands of Williams to tie the game at two apiece.
The Gusties got a number of chances in the game's final minutes, including a few more dangerous looks from both goal scorers, but neither team was able to capitalize, closing things out with a 2-2 draw in Saint Peter.
Gustavus totaled 10 shot attempts, including six on goal and three in the last 30 minutes of the game, while the Oles managed 14 attempts and four on the goal of Olson. Selberg led the squad with three of her four shot attempts on goal, while Waldspurger, Oelkers, and Wilson each collected one.
The Gusties have two games remaining in their regular season, ending the week with a trip to Bethel (6-5-3, 2-4-2 MIAC) in a game that will certainly impact the MIAC playoff standings. The team closes out the season at St. Scholastica (0-13-4, 0-8-1 MIAC) the following Saturday.
