The University of Minnesota Morris women’s soccer team attempted to rally out of a 3-0 deficit on Friday afternoon, but the Cougars ran out of time in a 4-2 loss to the University of Northwestern.
Northwestern’s Megan Moeller was the lone goalscorer last month when the Eagles claimed a 2-0 victory over the Cougars in Morris and Moeller played a key part in the win for UNW today as well. The scoring opened in the third minute on a Minnesota Morris turnover after a goal kick. The ball was quickly flipped over the top to a sprinting Moeller who slotted past Bernadette Cienik to make it 1-0.
The second goal came off of a Northwestern corner. Mya Chan delivered it near-post and Moeller got the first touch, knocking it off of a Cougar defender and deflecting in to make it 2-0 in the eighth minute. Those early scoring chances proved to be all either team could muster the rest of the opening half as it went to the break with the Eagles on top by a pair.
Northwestern came out and made it 3-0 right after halftime with Maia Ellenburg hustling in to take advantage of a Minnesota Morris error, scoring in the 47th minute after a sloppy clearance by the Cougars kept the ball in the 18-yard box.
The Cougars got on the board in the 67th minute. After Jay Kwateh earned a free kick for Minnesota Morris, Caroline O’Donnell drove in a free kick. After it was only half-cleared, Shannon Young wrapped her foot around the ball and put one in over the head of Ellie Fryer.
The teams traded goals down the stretch. Northwestern made it 4-1 in the 73rd minute when a first-touch cross from Moeller found Lily Fabienke a split second before she collided with Cienik. The final goal of the match came in the 80th minute for Minnesota Morris. Off a corner played short, Caroline O’Donnell went back post and Lacey Keller nodded it down into the six-yard box where Monica Calderon tapped it in for her team-leading sixth of the season.
Cienik ended the day with 13 saves in goal for the Cougars. Other than the two goal-scorers, Kim Peters had two shots for UMN Morris and BeBe Say had one.
Minnesota Morris closes out the weekend tomorrow with a match in Minneapolis against North Central University at 1 p.m.
