CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Two goals within 17 seconds of each other lifted the Gustavus women’s soccer team to a 3-1 win at Coe College on Wednesday night. The Gusties improve to 4-3 overall, while the Kohawks drop to 1-6-1.
Gustavus controlled most of the possession in the early stages of the game but was unable to put one home in the first 30 minutes. Some pinball action in front of the Coe goalkeeper resulted in a deflection off a Kohawk player and into the net for an own goal at the 30:27 mark. The Gusties carried the 1-0 lead into halftime.
Nearly nine minutes into the second half, Coe was able to tie the game with a goal, but the Gusties responded in the 62nd minute as Rachel Rehnelt (Sr., Albert Lea) found Annika Lewis (Jr., Hudson, Wis.) directly in front of the net where she kicked home a goal in the upper-left corner of the net for her first score of the season. Seventeen seconds later, Kristin Poppen (Fy., Verona, Wis.) scored her first career goal and the Gusties maintained the 3-1 decision through the final horn.
“We are very proud of the team tonight,” Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie said. “We had all sorts of players step up in moments to come up with key plays. We felt we controlled the first half, but were left feeling like we weren’t rewarded well enough for the effort. We talked about finding that extra edge to solidify the result on top of playing well. We gave up a goal against the grain, yet we responded brilliantly. This team is incredibly fun to watch; the way we move the ball, trust each other and work together to problem solve is inspiring. We know we still have room for improvement and we are ready for some tough conference matchups coming up.”
Leah Pavlish (Sr., Prior Lake) earned the win in goal for the Gusties after making one save. The Gusties outshot the Kohawks 14-2.
Gustavus returns to MIAC play Saturday when it travels to Saint Benedict for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.