Women’s Soccer Falls to the Cardinals in Season Closer

The Gustavus women’s soccer team suffered a 3-0 loss in its final game of the 2021 season against Saint Mary’s.

BOX SCORE

WINONA, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s soccer team suffered a 3-0 loss in its final game of the 2021 season against Saint Mary’s. With the loss, the Gusties finish the season 4-3-0.

“All season long it was an absolute joy to watch this team play— in games and in practice,” said Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie “With the change in our competitive season and the landscape of college looking different, we had the opportunity to step back and really focus on what makes this team and program special. From day one this spring, we decided as a program to focus on our strengths, highlight all our above the line behavior, do everything as a unified unit and have fun. In every game this season, we stuck to our game plan and it showed. Even with today’s result, we still stuck to our game plan and worked together, especially in the second half. You can’t ask for anything more from a team.”

Gustavus entered the matchup with solid defensive efforts before the Cardinals found the back of the net for the first goal fourteen minutes into play. Both teams battled in the contact heavy game finishing with a pair of fouls each. Leah Pavlish (Jr., Prior Lake) made a show stopping save on a one-on-one play and Maddie McDermott (Sr., Mendota Heights) and Kenna West (Jr., Owatonna) each put a shot on net before the Gusties closed the first half in a 1-0 deficit.

The tempo increased in the second half as the Gusties looked for a scoring opportunity, they were faced with a locked down Cardinal goalkeeper. Gustavus kept the period scoreless for the first twenty minutes until Saint Mary’s added two more insurance goals for the 3-0 final. Abby Goodno (Jr., Little Canada) made two saves in the second half.

“Words are not able to capture what this group of seniors have done for this program, both on and off the field. We are incredibly proud of the time, effort, and commitment they showed over the last four years and their legacy will live on for a long time. Ultimately, this season was fun from the start to the finish and knowing that allowed us to walk off the field today with our heads held high and proud of what we accomplished in the last three months. Once again, thank you to everyone who made this happen, not just in athletics but also across campus. Thank you to President Bergman for her leadership during this time, along with all the parents, alums and friends who supported us along the way.”