Box Score

Duluth, Minn. - The Saint Scholastica Women's soccer team competed in their second game of the season today against the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. Despite heavy defensive play by the Saints, they fell 7-1 to the Eagles, who are ranked seventh in the nation according to the 2024 Pre-Season Coaches Poll. 

How it Happened

1st Half

The Eagles opened up the game with dominant play, as the opening five minutes were played in the Saints' end. The Eagles had a couple lucky shots from inside the 18-yard box, but the Saints defenders quickly shut them down. 

Pressure continued as the Eagles scored their first of the game at 9:08, despite Gracie Meagher (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet HS) making a valiant effort to dive to the opposite side of the net. Less than two minutes later, the Eagles were able to capitalize again on a lucky cross-field pass. The Eagles led 2-0 at 10:31. 

Kaitlyn Sautter (Princeton, Minn./Princeton HS) had multiple rushes in the opening 20 of the game. But UWLC turned around and secured their third goal of the game off of a corner kick at 12:23. Three minutes later, the Eagles scored their fourth goal at 15:35. 

At 24:51, the Eagles took a 5-0 lead. 

After the Eagles' fifth goal, Saints player Gabby Eckman made a push for the offensive end. Eckman was able to get a shot off but ultimately went high and wide. 

The Saints knew they had to make significant advancements to get back into the game. Sautter took a chance inside the 18-yard box and Mariah Hernesman was able to knock in the rebound for the Saints' first goal of the game at 35:48. 

The score remained the same following the Saints goal. 5-1 in favor of the Eagles going into the second half. 

2nd Half

The opening minutes of the second half started similar to the first. The Eagles had an early penalty kick which resulted in the sixth goal for the team at 48:01. 

The following 20 minutes consisted of continuous play in the neutral zone, as each team exchanged possessions. The Saints' defense held off the Eagles from pushing too deep into their zone. 

Communication on the field was thorough on both ends, maintaining equal control of the ball in the neutral zone. Peyton Mathisen and Abby Shrode stood on their heads to support Saints goalkeeper in the efforts to hold off the Eagles. 

With nine minutes remaining in the match, the score sat at 6-1 Eagles. The Saints made multiple substitutions to try to regain momentum. But the clock continued to wind down. 

The Eagles locked in one final goal at 85:25 to conclude the match. The Saints fell 7-1.

Saint Stats

• Goalkeeper Gracie Meagher (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet HS) made a total of nine saves on the day.

• Mariah Hernesman scored the lone goal for the Saints and the first of the season.

• Kaitlyn Sautter (Princeton, Minn./Princeton HS) tallied one assist. 

Words from Coach Reyelts

"It was a tough day today, but a lot of credit to our team as they battled back during the second half. We played significantly better, more competitive, and hopefully we can build off of this result so it can help us out next week." 

Up Next 

The Saints are set to compete in three matches this upcoming week, with only one game taking place at the Kenny Harkins Field. On Wednesday, September 4, the Blue and Gold will travel over the bridge to kickoff against the University of Wisconsin-Superior at 5 p.m. 

As the weekend rolls around, the Saints will return home for a 3 p.m. game on Friday, September 6 against the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. The busy weekend will wrap up on the road in ​​Menomonie, Wis. for a 1 p.m. game on Sunday, September 8 against the University of Wisconsin-Stout.