ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul (1-0-3, 0-0-1) women's soccer team opened NSIC play with a 1-1 draw against Northern State (1-1-1, 0-0-1) on a windy Friday night at Sea Foam Stadium.
Following the game, head coach
Steve Bellis stated, "Tonight was a battle. We created enough chances in the first half to feel like we should have snagged all three points. Northern fought hard and made the game challenging."
Bellis added, "We know we can go to another level and look forward to Sunday's matchup."
Lexi Pettit paced the Golden Bears' performance, scoring CSP's lone goal to give the Golden Bears the lead early in the first half. The goal marked her first of the season and fourth of her career.
In the first half, CSP controlled play and prevented Northern State from gaining possession. The Golden Bears capitalized on the momentum when
Lexi Pettit bent a kick into the net off the assist from
Maddison Balashaitis in the 18th minute to take a 1-0 lead.
The Golden Bears held a 13-1 shot advantage at halftime, including three shots on goal, while CSP committed four fouls to the Wolves' three. CSP also held a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Coming out of halftime, CSP looked to maintain its momentum and finish strong, shutting down the Wolves' attempts to regain possession while continuing to push the ball down the field.
It was a physical second half before Abby Missman scored the equalizer for NSU in the 60th minute, assisted by Kylie Albert, to tie the match at 1-1.
The match grew increasingly physical and chippy in the final minutes, with both teams battling for the winning goal. Neither side could find the breakthrough, as the match ended in a 1-1 tie.
Northern State controlled the second half, outshooting CSP 11-5 and holding a 2-1 advantage in shots on goal and a 3-0 advantage in corner kicks.
With the draw, the Golden Bears move to 7-20-4 all-time against the Wolves, marking their fourth draw in the all-time series.
CSP held the shot advantage 18-11 and took six shots on goal on the day while holding the Wolves to just two shots on goal.
Leading the Golden Bears' defense was
Maddison Balashaitis, who played all 90 minutes and recorded her third career assist on CSP's lone goal. Freshman
Madeleine Thompson started and played a career-high 89 minutes on the defensive end.
In the midfield,
Sophia Haase played all 90 minutes, while
Lexi Pettit played 85 minutes.
Pettit tied her career highs with seven shots and three shots on goal. Haase,
Ashley Bennett and
Hannah Carroll each recorded two shots.
Senior goalkeeper
Sydney Potter made one save, making her 35th career start in net.
The Golden Bears will continue NSIC action Sunday against Jamestown at 1 p.m. at Sea Foam Stadium.
