ST. PAUL, Minn. – On senior day at Sea Foam Stadium, the Concordia-St. Paul soccer team (10-5-3, 7-5-3 NSIC) dropped a heartbreaker to Augustana (11-4-3, 10-3-2 NSIC) 2-1 in second overtime to conclude the regular season on Sunday afternoon. The Golden Bears earned the seventh seed for the NSIC playoff tournament that will begin on October 31^st.
 
This is the second straight year that the Bears have advanced to the postseason tournament and it will be their 11th trip in the team's Division II history. As the seventh seed, CSP will matchup with the number two seeded Minnesota State, playing in Mankato on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
 
The two overtimes that were needed to decide a winner in Sunday's game marked the fifth time in the Bears' series history with the Vikings that the two teams have played at least one overtime. Concordia now holds a 2-11-1 overall record against the Vikings.  
 
Both teams had chances in each other's zones in the first half, but each team struggled to get shots off, with the Bears holding a 3-2 edge in shots throughout the first 45 minutes. None of those shots were successful, with only one of them being on goal and the game entered the halftime break with a 0-0 score.
 
It was the Vikings who got on the board first in the second half, when freshman Alexis Legg scored her ninth goal of the season, taking a rebound off an Emily Nelson save and burying a goal from one yard out in the 55^th minute.
 
After the goal, CSP stepped it up a level, taking the next seven straight shots. A minute after the Augie goal, senior Brooke Salo got an open look from right inside the box, but rocketed a shot that went high. A little bit later, junior defender Jackie Ehlert made a nice cross that was punched out by the goalie before freshman Jena Berkland could get a head on it. The goalie's clear went right to senior Jade Weller, who then had an open look, but missed wide.
 
Berkland and Emily Boyer also both found themselves open later in the half, but Berkland's shot was saved and Boyer's went high. Senior Jordan Rowan-Stafford also got in on the action, taking a pass from Leah Johnson and hitting a shot to the top right corner, but the Augustana goalie, who finished with two saves on the day, made a diving save to keep her team ahead.
 
Weller had another opportunity in the 82^nd minute and did not waste it, firing a shot from outside the box that went over the goalie's head, tying the game up at one apiece. This was the team's third time in the last four games scoring a goal within the final ten minutes of regulation time.
 
The goal was Weller's fourth of the season and 14^th of her career, and she is now tied for eighth in career points with 37. Sophomore Melissa Bear racked up her first collegiate point, assisting Weller on the play.
 
Augustana took one more shot, but regulation time expired with the score in a 1-1 tie. Neither team was able to get a shot off in the first overtime period, but Augustana's Rebekah Thoresen scored for the Vikings in the 105^th minute, nailing a shot over the top of the goalie's head to give Augie the 2-1 win.
 
Concordia held an 11-7 advantage in shots throughout the contest, with Rowan-Stafford leading the way with four. Nelson took the loss in net, but made a season-high five saves throughout the game. Nelson moves to 5-3-1 on the year.
 
For those who cannot make it to Mankato for playoff soccer on Wednesday, follow all the action at cspbears.com/watch.