Box Score DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) –
Andrea Beatt (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove HS) snuck one inside the right post in the 96th minute to give the St. Scholastica women's soccer team a 1-0 overtime victory over the University of Minnesota Morris on Saturday and hand the Saints their fifth Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Tournament championship in the last six years.
The Saints will now play in their fifth NCAA Division III National Tournament in the last six years, receiving the conference's automatic qualifier.
What happened before the goal in overtime was even more spectacular as the Saints controlled possession for most of the game, but the Cougars started to gain more and more momentum as the contest went on.
Morris, who did not have a shot on goal the whole time during regulation had a point blank chance in the 94th minute right in front of the net, but CSS goalkeeper
Kelsey Reeves (Eagle River, Alaska/Eagle River HS ) made a outstanding save and then on the rebound she bounced back up and made another great save.
The Saints then took the ball down the field and with a scramble at the top of the box Beatt just took a one touch strike at the goal and it lobbed inside the right post to give the Saints the golden goal 1-0 victory.
In the first half the Saints outshot the Cougars 14-0, but just two were on goal. In the second half, the Saints had as 11-2 edge in shots, including
Shannon Carlson (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury HS) hitting the crossbar early in the half. The Saints had a 12-2 edge in corner kicks in the game.
Reeves picks up her ninth shutout of the season stopping the aforementioned two shots. Rikki Beaver had six saves in the loss for the Cougars.
The Cougars' season comes to an end with a 12-5-2 record. This is the second consecutive year CSS defeated Morris in the UMAC Tournament championship.
The Saints (17-4-1) will find out who and where they will play in the NCAA Division III Tournament on Monday at 12:30 p.m. local time. The pairings will be broadcasted live on NCAA.com.
