BOX SCORE
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s soccer team ended its season Wednesday afternoon with a 5-0 loss at top-seeded St. Catherine in the MIAC playoff semifinals. The Gusties finish the season 11-9, while boasting a 7-2 record in the final nine games of the season.
St. Kate’s scored what proved to be the game winner 9:06 into the game. The Wildcats upped their lead to 2-0 at 16:06 and carried a 2-0 lead into halftime.
Just 1:54 into the second half, the Wildcats went up 3-0 on the third goal by Amanda Elton. The home team added goals in the 74th and 76th minutes for the 5-0 decision.
St. Kate’s outshot the Gusties 14-6. Abby Goodno (Sr., Little Canada) suffered the loss after making five saves in 76:07 of play. Leah Pavlish (Sr., Prior Lake) finished the game without facing a shot.
“Obviously we did not get the result we wanted today, however, one result does not take away from the incredible season this team produced,” Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie said. “Our seniors did a phenomenal job of welcoming in a large first year class, and despite a first half of the season that didn’t always go as we hoped, the team continued to push forward. We ended on an unbelievable run, winning seven conference games in a row to clinch the second highest MIAC playoff seed in program history and hosting a playoff game. On top of that, despite being down by a large margin, we fought tooth and nail until the final buzzer versus St. Kate’s. That grit, heart and passion is something you can’t teach and it comes from our team camaraderie and love for each other.
“Our eight seniors deserve a huge amount of credit for what they have done for this program over the last four or five years. They helped our program continue to grow through a tough season altered by COVID in 2020 and created a powerful culture this year that emphasized the ‘we over me,’ positivity and high energy. They should all be proud of their contributions to this team and know their teammates are going to push even harder to carry on their legacy in future years.”
