Full photo gallery to follow.
WINONA, Minn. – The Gustavus women's soccer team, making in its first MIAC playoff appearance since 2021, saw its season come to an end at the hands of Saint Mary's Monday afternoon in Winona. The Cardinals (13-2-4, 8-1-2 MIAC) scored two first half goals and added an insurance tally late in the game to advance to the semifinals with a 3-0 win over the Gusties, who much like six of SMU's last opponents, struggled to break the shutout streak of the Cardinal defense. The Gusties finish the season 9-5-5 overall and ended sixth in the conference standings with a MIAC record of 4-4-3.
"It's always hard when something great comes to an end," said Head Coach
Laura Burnett-Kurie. "This season and this team will hold a special place in our hearts. The fight, grit, joy and energy this group brought day in and day out will inspire us for years to come."
SMU set the tone early, emerging with all of the offensive pressure after kick off. The Cardinals strung together a number of corner kicks in the opening minutes of the game, before one eventually resulted in their first of three goals. Lauren Ashe took the corner for Saint Mary's, sending a ball into the box that was quickly kicked out of trouble by the Gustie defense. Ashe's field position allowed her to play her own rebound after racing out of the corner, beating
Katelyn Olson (So., Cloquet, Minn.) in the lower left corner.
The Gusties held SMU from any more dangerous chances for the next 20 minutes, as both teams battled for possession in the midfield. Gustavus earned its first corner of the game at minute 28, sending MIAC Athlete of the Week
Cambelle Waldspurger (Jr., Mahtomedi, Minn.) to take it. Waldspurger's ball bounced a number of times in the box before eventually being cleared by the Cardinal defense. Saint Mary's turned right back around, moving the ball down the field efficiently to catch the Gusties off-guard. The Gustie defense broke up the initial scoring play, but the ball was recovered by SMU's Anika Chavez, who sent a quick pass to the Lauryn Skoruppa, the Cardinals' leading scorer. Skoruppa did what she has all season, adding the second tally of the game on a quick turn and shoot play.
The Gustie offense began to find its footing in the second half, after all, the team has been no stranger to the second half comeback this season. Waldspurger collected a trio of shot attempts, including a dangerous chance that tipped over the goal, but the Cardinals continued their shutout streak that dates back to Oct. 9, as SMU keeper Anna Peckosh collected every attempt that came her way.
Saint Mary's added an insurance goal in minute 82, as Samantha Munson walked down the field, and, rather than playing the ball to the corner, sent a long pass into the box to a speeding Skoruppa, who tapped the ball into the top left corner for her second of the game.
Jordan Oelkers (Sr., Byron, Minn.) continued to push the Gustie offense forward following the goal, managing one more chance in the final minutes of her collegiate career, but the Saint Mary's defense held strong, earning their seventh consecutive shutout and the playoff victory.
"Today didn't go as we hoped, but what stands out to us is the performance we showed in the second half," Burnett-Kurie continued. "We took our game to a new level and battled until the very end. The character this team has shown with our backs against the wall continued to show today — even being down by multiple goals late, we fought tooth and nail until the final whistle. In the last minute we had two great looks on goal.
"Despite the result on the scoreboard, we walked off with our heads held high and filled with pride — for who we are as people, players, and as a collective group."
The Cardinals out-shot the Gusties by a mark of 13-8, including an 8-2 edge in shots on goal. Saint Mary's totaled nine corner kicks compared to two for the Gusties. Waldspurger and
Ellen Becken (Sr., Prior Lake, Minn.) collected both shots on target, with Waldspurger also contributing three of the team's eight attempts. Olson finished with four saves in goal to end her season having played every minute of every game, averaging 5.3 saves in each contest for an even total of 100 on the year.
The Gusties will miss the likes of their 10 seniors next season, who all contributed to the program's success in the last four years. Seniors who played in their final game in the Black & Gold included Becken, Oelkers,
Callie Patraw (Elk River, Minn.),
Bella Bacigalupo (Duluth, Minn.),
Makenna Huetten (Eagan, Minn.),
Kirstin Poppen (Verona, Wis.),
Lillian Selberg (Minneapolis, Minn.),
Gabriela Rodriguez (Waseca, Minn.),
Lucie Henrich (Shoreview, Minn.), and
Brianna Monahan (Medina, Minn.).
"To the seniors: It's hard to put into words the impact you have had on this program over the last four years. So we will leave it with this: thank you. Thank you for your energy, your positivity, your fight and your belief. Thank you for making us better every day. You have made us proud and we love you."
The Gusties close out the year with a final record of 9-5-5 overall, their second consecutive nine-win season, while Saint Mary's advances to the MIAC Playoff Semifinals, facing MIAC Co-Champion Carleton (13-1-5, 8-0-3 MIAC), ranked No. 25 in the nation in the latest national coaches' poll.
