ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul women's soccer team (6-3-6, 5-3-4 NSIC) celebrated Senior Day at Sea Foam Stadium on Sunday, playing to a 1-1 draw against Bemidji State (7-3-5, 6-2-4 NSIC).
Head coach
Steve Bellis said following the draw, "We saw another quality NSIC game today. It was a good way to celebrate our seniors with a great crowd. Not the result we wanted, but we are ready for the next one."
Sophia Haase highlighted the day for the Golden Bears, scoring the game-tying goal on a penalty kick late in the match. With the goal, Haase tied CSP's single-season scoring record with 13 goals, matching Amanda Olsen's mark set in 2021.
In the first half, both teams came out firing, as the Beavers earned three early corner kicks and had a goal called back for offsides. CSP responded minutes later by pushing the ball downfield and connecting on a nice cross to
Sophia Haase, who headed the ball into the net before the goal was also ruled offsides.
Both teams settled down after the early rush, heading into halftime tied 0-0. CSP held the advantage in shots, 5-3, while Bemidji State led 2-1 in shots on goal and 3-0 in corner kicks.
CSP opened the second half looking to find the game's first goal, with both teams battling evenly through the opening minutes. Bemidji State broke the deadlock when Sydney Sutherland worked her way through the defense and crossed the ball to Molly Burkstrand, who finished the play with a goal.
The Golden Bears looked to find an answer following the goal, applying extra pressure in the offensive zone. Their aggression paid off when Mila Klostermann was tripped inside the box, earning CSP a penalty kick.
Haase stepped up and buried the shot to even the score at 1-1.
Both teams battled evenly in the final minutes, with neither side able to find a go-ahead goal. The two teams remained tied through the final whistle, finishing the match in a 1-1 draw.
Concordia controlled the second half statistically, outshooting Bemidji State 11-3 and holding a 3-1 advantage in shots on goal and a 3-2 edge in corner kicks.
With the draw, the Golden Bears move to 12-15-4 all-time against the Beavers, marking their fourth draw in the all-time series
The CSP offense tested the St. Cloud State defense, forcing four saves and recording shots from 11 different players:
Stella Nielsen,
Ashley Bennett,
Lexi Pettit,
Sienna Latta,
Sophia Haase,
Jeanette Bermudez,
Madeleine Thompson,
Brooke Nelson,
Morgan Bilczewski, Mila Klostermann and
Breanna Weilert.
Leading the Concordia defense was
Maddison Balashaitis and
Morgan Bilczewski who each recorded a 90-minute outing and allowed just three shots on goal.
Starting for the Navy and Gold in the net was senior
Sydney Potter, who made her 30th career start at Sea Foam Stadium. Potter made three saves in the draw to bring her season total to 57.
Locking down midfield was Haase, Pettit and Nelson who each registered at least 80 minutes on the pitch.
The Golden Bears will return to action next weekend for a pair of road games, taking on the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State on Friday and the Cougars of Sioux Falls on Sunday.
