MOORHEAD, MINN.- The University of Sioux Falls soccer squad was able to put their growth through the season in their match on Friday, beating the MSU Moorhead Dragons 1-0 on their pitch.

When asked about the results, head coach Brittany Domino noted that "the girls definitely have a sense of relief. This group has really high expectations for themselves so even after the win, they knew they could have played better," Domino said. "I had to remind them to enjoy it. It feels good to be able to grind out a game and get the result. This group has faced many challenges this year and make zero excuses for themselves."

Leading the offense was freshman forward Alexis Naujokaitis and senior defender Lily McKown, both of whom took two shots on goal.

Naujokaitis came in as the first substitution for the Cougars in the 16th minute and made her presence felt immediately, taking a shot in the 18th minute that pulled the Dragon goalkeeper away from the goal on the save, but Naujokaitis got a second chance and sent the ball into the upper right corner of the box to put the Cougars ahead 1-0.

The Cougars rattled off seven shots in the first half compared to the Dragons' 3. In the second half, the tables turned, with the Dragons outshooting the Cougars 7-to-3. The Cougars defense was a stalwart in the second half though, challenging the Dragons' shots. Freshman goalkeeper Alexis Wemhoff recorded six saves in the clean sheet.

"Each week we keep learning something about ourselves as individuals and as a group," Domino said. "We have different players step up at different times for us and we are learning we can lean on each other to find a way to get a result. This team is going to just keep improving. We are just going to be stronger from all the experience all of our players are getting early on this year. There is still a lot in this group that they have yet to show. I'm really proud of the fight they continue to show."

The Cougars will look to make a streak out of the win when they travel to Aberdeen on Sunday to take on the Northern State Wolves.