SIOUX FALLS – With a second-half flurry of goals, University of Sioux Falls Soccer defeated Winona State for the first time in program history, winning 3-1 on Friday evening. The Cougars secure their fourth win of the season, the most since gaining NCAA Division II membership in 2012, and improve their overall record to 4-5-2. Their third victory in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference gives them a 3-3-2 record and 11 points, tying them at eighth on the conference table.
The winningest team in NSIC women's soccer history, Winona State had never lost to the Cougars in the five previous meetings. The last two seasons, USF had suffered one-goal losses to Winona State but avenged both with their second-half eruption on Friday.
After a sluggish first half saw the Cougars fall behind 1-0 when Winona State scored in the 21st minute and held a 10-2 edge in shots heading into halftime. After the intermission, the Cougars quickly turned the tides.
Three minutes into the second half, Sioux Falls tied the game.
Lauren LaFavre reversed the field with a long ball to
Becca Schmitz who was running free up the right side of the field. Once the last defender caught up to Schmitz, the USF midfielder faked with her right foot to make space and fired a shot, which beat the WSU goalkeeper for her first career goal.
Taking no time to seize the lead after tying it, Schmitz sparked the go-ahead goal less than two minutes after netting the equalizer. Stretching the defense, Schmitz fed
Morgan Lovato with a long ball and with space behind the Winona State back line, she launched a shot from more than 20 yards out, bending the ball in over Winona State's goalkeeper to put USF up 2-1 in the 50th minute.
After surrendering the first goal of the game, USF's back line of
Emma Trittin,
Erin O'Tool,
Lily McKown and
Danielle Cooper tightened up on the Warrior attack in the second half and goalkeeper
Morgan Perkins saved all four shots she faced after halftime.
Perkins made a pair of saves to keep the Cougar lead intact, before Lovato secured a brace with her in the 75th minute. After being moved off the back line and into to the midfield,
Lindsey Power sent in a free kick, which was initially dismayed just inside the 18-yard box by the Winona State defense. However,
Chessa Novotny fought to win the ball and after gaining possession, her shot was blocked. Capitalizing on the chaos after the free kick, Lovato secured the rebound and again beat the WSU keeper high, finding the back of the net with a shot from 16 yards out for her second goal of the game and a 3-1 lead for USF.
Perkins made two more key saves to preserve the now two goal lead. In the 89th minute, a free kick settled at the feet of a Winona State defender, but Perkins made a diving stop to parry the point-blank shot away to finalize the score, 3-1 in favor of the Cougars.
Sioux Falls looks now embarks on a three-game road swing, beginning with a 1 p.m. match at Upper Iowa on Sunday, Oct. 8.
