ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul women's soccer team (3-1-4, 2-1-2) battled to a 0-0 draw against the Augustana Vikings (4-1-3, 2-1-2) on a breezy Friday night at Sea Foam Stadium.
Following the game, head coach
Steve Bellis stated, "Tonight's game was a great example of high-level college soccer. We both went close in the second half. We created enough opportunities to put the game away and need to turn those moments into goals."
Sydney Potter highlighted the Golden Bears' defensive effort in net, recording eight saves on 14 shots to keep CSP level.
In a physical first half, the Golden Bears matched the Vikings with six shots, while Augustana held advantages in shots on goal, 5-3, and corner kicks, 4-2.
The Vikings had a golden opportunity to score in the 42nd minute when Ella Weide fired a low shot toward the bottom-left corner, but Potter made the save to keep the score tied.
Neither team was able to find the back of the net, sending the game into halftime tied 0-0.
CSP opened the second half looking to find the first goal of the game, but Potter continued to keep the Golden Bears in the match, making three saves while facing eight shots in the second half. Augustana had another opportunity in the 48th minute when Laina Souerdyke's shot hit the top post.
Augustana started to get chippy with the Golden Bears late, committing five fouls compared to none by CSP. The Golden Bears had their best opportunity in the 75th minute when
Milla Klostermann fired a clean shot on goal that hit the woodwork once again.
Both teams' defenses stood strong throughout the second half, stopping everything that came their way to end the game in a 0-0 draw.
In a very even game between two of the top six teams in the NSIC, CSP held a 15-14 advantage in shots, while Augustana held an 8-7 advantage in shots on goal. The Vikings also held a 7-3 advantage in corner kicks and committed seven fouls compared to one by CSP.
With the draw, the Golden Bears move to 4-14-3 all-time against the Vikings, marking their third draw in the all-time series.
Senior goalkeeper
Sydney Potter recorded a season-high eight saves, marking the second time in her career she has recorded eight or more saves in a game.
Leading the defense for the Golden Bears were
Maddison Balashaitis,
Neely Kunz and
Morgan Bilczewski, who each played all 90 minutes for CSP. Balashaitis and Bilczewski have now played all 90 minutes together in three consecutive games.
Three Golden Bears recorded two shots on goal, with
Lexi Pettit,
Sophia Haase and
Milla Klostermann each recording a pair.
Pettit and Latta each tallied a team-high four shots, while Klostermann added three.
Anchoring the midfield were Haase and Pettit, who each played all 90 minutes for CSP.
Freshman
Jeanette Bermudez made her first career start on defense, playing 61 minutes in the effort.
The Golden Bears will return to action Sunday against the Wildcats of Wayne State at 1 p.m. (CT) at Sea Foam Stadium.
