ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia Golden Bears soccer team (1-4, 0-2 NSIC) controlled play for much of the game but took a 1-0 loss to Southwest Minnesota State (2-2-1, 2-0 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon at Sea Foam Stadium.
 
The Golden Bears out-shot the Mustangs 14-9 for the game but were unable to solve SMSU keeper Kristy Leopold as the picked up the shutout victory with five saves and handed CSP a 1-0 defeat.
 
Emma Gartner nearly matched Leopold shot-for-shot as she made six saves and allowed the lone goal in the losing effort. Gartner made several spectacular saves to hold SMSU to just one goal on the afternoon.
 
The Golden Bears were led by McKenzie Buck's four shots (three on goal) on the attack while Jessica Bianchi and Erica Landry were also active for CSP.
 
Emily Huddleston scored the game-winner for SMSU netted her first goal of the season from Kara Whiting.
 
The two teams kicked off action with some high-paced, wide-open play as both teams created several opportunities to put a goal on the board. CSP had the better of the action but it was the Mustangs who struck first in the 13^th minute as Emily Huddleston broke down the right side of the field behind the Concordia defense and rolled the ball past Emma Gartner into the left corner of the net.
 
The momentum shifted slightly in favor of SMSU after the goal but both teams remained aggressive on the attack. The Golden Bears led the Mustangs in shots at 9-5 in the half but SMSU held a 4-2 advantage on shots on goal and a1-0 advantage on the scoreboard as the two teams headed into the break.
 
The second half started off with a bit more play in the midfield as the defenses settled in and limited the scoring opportunities. Midway through the period, Concordia shifted some players around in the lineup and turned up the pressure as they looked to pull even. The Golden Bears used some strong runs to create chances but were unable to turn those chances into shots. The pressure continued to come for CSP but they couldn't break through and slip one past Kristy Leopold as the Mustangs closed out the 1-0 win.
 
Concordia is right back in action tomorrow afternoon as they host Sioux Falls to close out their season-opening home stand at Sea Foam Stadium. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m.