WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University soccer team scored early in their matchup with the University of Sioux Falls Cougars, but USF scored a pair of goals late to escape Maxwell Field in dealing the Warriors a 2-1 setback.
Although Winona State scored first through
Johanna Shubert, USF nabbed a pair of goals with under 10 minutes to play from two different opportunistic Cougars for the the win.
Key Details: University of Sioux Falls 2, Winona State 1
Attendance: 231
How It Happened:
Winona State started strong against USF, with WSU's
Johanna Shubert forcing a save by USF's Delani Daubman inside of the first minute of play. Warrior teammate
Abigail Williams would go on to rattle the crossbar just two minutes later as the WSU offense found it's rythym early on.
The WSU pressure would go to yield two corner kicks inside the first eight minutes as well, as the Cougars sat in defensively.
In the 17th minute, Winona State's pressure paid off when
Johanna Shubert broke free on the right side of the penalty area and slotted a ball past a diving Daubman for a 1-0 Warrior lead.
Following a series of substitutions, WSU would go on to pepper the Cougar goal, with shots by WSU's
Catheryn Hudak and
Caylee Ludwig both yielding saves from Daubman.
As the first half wound down, the flurry of chances for the home side fell wide or high of the goal, leaving Winona State with a 12-3 shot advantage but only a 1-0 lead on the scoreboard.
At the Half: Winona State 1, Sioux Falls 0
Following a first half in which Winona State dominated offensively, the final 45 minutes proved to be an evenly played effort by the Warriors and Cougars.
USF would notch the first shot for either team in the second half, when Julia Kreutner forced a reaction save from WSU starting goalkeeper
Alyson Jumper.
Winona State would go on to see a Sioux Falls corner kick yield a strong header from USF's Hannah Welsh. Jumper saved the initial Welch effort, and then WSU center back
Callie Menzel cleared Welch's follow-up attempt off the line in what could have been a game-tying goal for USF.
After a back-and-forth 15 minutes in the middle of the final 45, Sioux Falls would go on to win another corner just before the 80th minute. After the initial ball bypassed the penalty area, a quick restart throw saw USF's Sarah Miller get free on the WSU endline with the ball on the dribble. Miller's first effort hit the right goalpost but Miller was able to collect her own rebound and beat Jumper to tie the teams at 1-1 with nine minutes left.
WSU would respond with a series of shots from
Grace Seim,
Hannah Dunlavy and
Reanne Weil, but the Cougars' Daubman was equal to the task each time.
With just three minutes to go in the match, USF earned a free kick about 35 yards out and to the right of the Warrior penalty area. The Cougars lofted a ball into the box and the serve was met with a host of players. In the ensuing scramble, USF's Mara Parker latched on to the loose ball and found the back of the Warrior net.
After Sioux Falls went up 2-1 late in the match, Winona State would earn a pair of corner kicks in the final minute but were unable to convert, falling to Sioux Falls 2-1 at home on Maxwell Field.
Beyond the Boxscore:
Winona State's last three losses have all been 2-1 scorelines.
Although Winona State dominated the first half with a 12-3 shot count, WSU unfortunately saw a ball off the crossbar early on and several Daubman saves deny the Warriors any further damage.
With 10 corners in the game, WSU reached double digits in corner counts for the second time in three matches.
Up Next:
Winona State (2-5-3, 1-4-2 NSIC) will continue their home stand, hosting Minnesota State on Sunday, Oct. 8. The Warriors and Mavericks will kick off at 1 p.m. in Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium.
