Concordia University St. Paul Athletics

ST. CLOUD, Minn. - Concordia-St. Paul soccer (9-7-4, 6-4-4 NSIC) dropped their NSIC Tournament semifinal match, 0-1, to the University of Mary Marauders (10-7-3, 7-5-2 NSIC) at Husky Stadium on Friday.
 
"It was a tough game, and I think it could have gone either way," commented head coach Steve Bellis. "In the second half, we battled a little bit harder than we did in the first. We didn't get the bounces that I thought we deserved, but congratulations to UMary. They gave us a good fight and good luck to them in the finals," Bellis added.
 
"Sadly, we have to say goodbye to some of our seniors at this point, so that's the tough bit. They have been good for our program and brought us a long way, and obviously, we are going to miss them tremendously. I appreciate everything they have done for the program."
 
The Golden Bears will await to see if they earned a spot in the NCAA Division II Central Regional with the selection show on Monday, November 13 at 5:30 p.m. CT on NCAA.com. For more information and updates, follow along at CSPBears.com.
 
Prior to the match, senior forward Katie Anderson was honored as the NSIC Outstanding Senior Award recipient. The San Diego native finished with a team-leading four shots with one shot on goal. Belle Abruzzo and Clare Snapko each contributed with shots on goal of their own.
 
Jessi Jordan (6-7-3) made her 17th start in goal for the Golden Bears this season. The junior (graduating) goalkeeper collected four saves during her 90-minute stint in goal.
 
Belle Abruzzo, Mackenzie Leibiger and Tori Miller each added 90-minute complete game performances, while Haley Rudebusch, Sydney Manthana and Brittany Bordson added strong efforts as well with over 80 minutes accumulated on the pitch.
 
In the first half, despite holding a light advantage in possession time, the Golden Bears were outshot 8-1, with Clare Snapko adding the lone shot (on goal) in the fourth minute of action. Jordan collected a trio of saves in the opening half, and a defensive stalemate for the remainder of the half led to the teams heading to the locker room tied 0-0 after 45 minutes of action.
 
The Golden Bears opened the second half with a strong offensive push in the opening 15 minutes of play. Katie Anderson and Belle Abruzzo added shots on goal, while Haley Rudebusch added a strong attempt that was blocked by UMary in the 60th minute.
 
In the 80th minute, Olivia Gardner drove in her team-leading eighth goal of the season with an assisted pass from Mo Malone to put the Marauder ahead, 1-0. UMary controlled the Golden Bears' offensive attack for the remainder of the half, as they held on to secure the victory.