BEMIDJI, Minn.- The Concordia-St. Paul women's soccer team (10-7-3, 8-4-3 NSIC) fell in the 2021 NSIC Soccer Tournament semifinals to #6 Bemidji State (18-0-2, 13-0-2 NSIC) on a snowy and cold Friday afternoon 1-0. The second round appearance was third in program history for the Golden Bears. 

The NSIC leading scorer Sara Wendt of Bemidji State gave the Beavers the game-winning goal in the 54th minute as Ashlyn Waldon was drawn out of net by a blocked shot. 

The goal against Waldon was only her third in 2021. Previous to the score, Waldon had gone 373:29 minutes without a goal against, with the last one coming from Southwest Minnesota State earlier in the season. The loss in Bemidji is her first as the CSP netminder and moves her career record to 4-1-2. 

Offensively, the Bears managed 10 shots and placed eight shots on goal against the Beaver goalkeeper. Katie Anderson led her squad with three shots and had two on frame. She will end the 2021 season with 104 shots through 20 games played, an NSIC (and team) best as of this writing. 

Jena Berkland, who was honored before the match for earning the NSIC Elite 18 award, also put up two shots and two on goal. After starting in 19 and playing in all 20 games, the junior midfielder finished third on her squad with 31 shots and 18 shots on goal. 

The Golden Bear backline held the Beavers to only one goal in the match while the Beavers averaged 2.42 goals per game. They also managed to hold the Beavers to five shots on goal when they average 19.6 shots per game. 

Golden Bears Mackenzie Leibiger, Tori Miller, Ailee Snapko, and goalkeeper Waldon played all 90 minutes while defender Ciara Bailey missed only one minute of play. With 48% of possession, the CSP squad put eight shots on frame compared to the BSU squad's five. 

Additionally, defender Cayla Renwick played in her 81st contest as a Golden Bear, moving her to third place in CSP history, surpassing Kyla Rentch (2006-09) with 80 played. The defender played 87 of 90 minutes in the match and totaled 1,783 minutes in 2021, a team best for the season and CSP top-20 historical feat. 

Head Coach Steve Bellis offered his thoughts after the match, "Unfortunately, we couldn't find the levels we have reached this year and a very good Bemidji team and horrible weather made it very tough. Good luck to Bemidji as they progress. We say, 'Goodbye' to our seniors and graduates and thank them for all they have done for our program." 

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