PHOTO GALLERY || HIGHLIGHTS TO BE POSTED MONDAY MORNING
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia University soccer team (2-4-1, 2-2-1 NSIC) evened their conference record with a dramatic 1-0 win over Bemidji State (3-5, 2-3 NSIC) on Sunday afternoon.
McKenzie Buck struck in the 82
nd minute and
Emma Gartner picked up her second straight shutout for the Golden Bears.
In what was another defensive battle, it appeared to be headed to another draw until Buck streaked down the left side of the field past a few BSU defenders and buried a hard, low shot into the bottom left corner of the net past the keeper to put CU on top in the 82
nd minute. The goal was Buck's first of the season and fourth of her career in navy and gold.
The Beavers had been knocking on the door to take the lead for much of the second half but the Golden Bear defense was up to the task as they turned away every chance. The back line of Concordia helped keeper
Emma Gartner hold Bemidji State off the board as they diffused a handful of chances with some strong challenges.
Gartner (2-4-1) finished the day with five saves as she collected her second consecutive shutout. She has allowed just one goal during the Golden Bears last three outings as the team has gone unbeaten in that stretch. She made an outstanding save in the first half and a few more solid saves in the second half in what was an impressive effort in net.
Concordia got off to a strong start as they controlled the ball and created shots in the first half. CU collected seven shots compared to just four for BSU in the half with each team putting two on net.
Taryn MacMillan had one of the two shots on goal for the Golden Bears in the first half as she also nearly scored on another shot in the second half to give her a team-high two shots on goal.
Sonja Barr (2-4) took the loss in goal for Bemidji State as she finished the day with three saves on four shots on net. Raquel Thelen also added a game-high three shots on net for BSU in the game.
The Golden Bears are home again next weekend as they host Northern State on Saturday and MSU Moorhead on Sunday. Both matches are set to begin at 1 p.m.
