Notables
-CSS outshot the Knights 23-3
-The Saints have yet to drop a game to the Knights since 2002
-Rudolph records 2nd shutout of season, Martin Luther has been held scoreless the last 11 meetings
-Katt records first collegiate goal as a Saint
 
 
DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The College of St. Scholastica women's soccer team kicked off the trifecta of homecoming games hosted by CSS on Saturday afternoon, taking on the Martin Luther Knights at Saints Field. The match didn't see much action for a majority of regulation, but with two minutes having passed in overtime Kailee Katt (Esko, Minn./Esko HS (St. Catherine)) netted the only goal of the match to win it for the Saints.
 
First Half
The match started with both teams jostling for possession at midfield for quite some time. The Knights were the first to create some sort of pressure, as Martha Balge fired one towards the St. Scholastica net. Roni Rudolph (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS (Minnesota-Duluth)) was able to scoop up the long attempt, however, which would be the only shot she faced in the first half.
 
CSS took over after the one Martin Luther attempt, controlling the ball a majority of the half on Martin Luther's side of the field. The first opportunity to score came in the 18th minute when Kailee Katt (Esko, Minn./Esko HS (St. Catherine)) sent a corner kick towards the net. Hannah Zeis (Ashland, Wis./Ashland HS) rose up and connected with a header, but the ball soared high over the crossbar.
 
Rachel Dixon (Superior, Wis./Superior HS) was the next Saint to put pressure on Knight goalkeeper Erin Feddersen, but the keeper held her ground and stopped Dixon's first attempt. Two minutes later Dixon sent another one towards the net, but it went wide left.
 
The Saints were able to muster a few more shots towards the net, with only one needing to be saved by Feddersen. Despite the Saints firing eight shots to Martin Luther's one, the scoreboard at the half read 0-0.
 
Second Half
The Saints wasted no time creating pressure in the second half, as Taylor Olson (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Denfeld HS) found an opening in the defense and fired a shot wide right of the net 33 seconds in. The ensuing twenty minutes were calm, with the Saints managing to put two shots on goal (Dixon and Zeis) while the Knights were unable to send one the way of Rudolph. Both of the shots from CSS were long attempts, however, which provided no trouble for the Martin Luther keeper.
 
The first great look for the Saints in the second half came in the 70th minute when Kailee Katt (Esko, Minn./Esko HS (St. Catherine)) took a free kick from about 40 yards out. The shot barely missed the top left corner of the net, sailing inches wide to keep the game scoreless.
 
Six minutes later the Saints came even closer to a goal as Janelle Rouillard (Dayton, Minn./Rogers HS) made a nice move with the ball to create an open shot 20 yards out in the middle of the field. Her attempt ricocheted off the crossbar, almost bouncing down into the net after initial contact.
 
In the 79th minute, with the ball having been down on the Martin Luther side of the field for about five consecutive minutes, CSS had four shot attempts close to the net. Feddersen had evacuated the net to rush over and grab a loose ball, but bobbled it and lost control right in front of Becca Rancour (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson HS). Rancour turned and fired, but it was blocked by a Martin Luther defender. Zeis, Mara Roberts (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd HS), and Rouillard all found the ball during this scramble in front of the net. All three sent shots towards the net, with each being blocked away by a cluster of Knight defenders to keep the match tied going into overtime.
 
Overtime
The Saints kept pressure on the Knights during the beginning of the overtime, controlling the ball the first two minutes of the period. Rouillard made a nice hustle play in the 92nd minute, forcing a Knight to pull her back from the ball. This resulted in a foul, which allowed Katt to line up from 30 yards out much like she did in the second half.
 
This time, however, Katt capitalized on the opportunity. After barely missing her first free kick attempt, Katt connected on the second attempt and beat the keeper with a perfectly placed ball in the top right corner of the net. This marked Katt's first goal of the season, and it couldn't have come at a better time as it lifted the Saints over the Knights 1-0 on homecoming Saturday.
 
Up Next
The Saints, who now improve to 6-5-2 (5-1-1 UMAC), will travel across the border to Ashland, Wisconsin for a conference showdown with the Northland Lumberjills. The match is set to start on Wednesday at 5 p.m.