Defeated in Double Overtime

Women’s Soccer Downed By Hamline In Double Overtime, 1-0

Posted on October 29th, 2016 by Trent Jackson

BOX SCORE
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s soccer team fell by a score of 1-0 in double overtime Saturday at Hamline University to close out regular season play.
With the loss the Gusties finish the regular season with a record of 10-6-2 (6-5 MIAC).
“We created opportunities for ourselves offensively and our defense battled hard,” said Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie. “It was a tough, gritty battle and despite our efforts we weren’t able to get the result we wanted.” 
A goal at the 101 minute mark of double overtime by Arendje Louter served as the game-winning goal for Hamline. Louter tallies her ninth goal and third gamer-winner of the season as the Pipers improve their record to 11-6-1 (5-5-1 (MIAC).
In an even matched game, the Gusties and the Pipers both notched seven shots on goal. Gustavus led in total shots, 15-11. They also led in corner kicks, 7-3.
Maddison Ackiss (Sr., Fairbanks, Alaska) led the Gusties with seven shots and a season-high five of them on target.
Goalkeeper Ashley Becker (So., Farmington, Minn.) made six saves in goal despite suffering her sixth loss of the season.
“It’s disappointing but at the end of the day, the team put us in a position where we had clinched playoffs regardless of the result. We are still playing well and looking forward to our quarterfinals on Tuesday,” Burnett-Kurie said.
The Gusties travel back to St. Paul, Minn. on Tuesday to take on St. Catherine University at 2 p.m. for a MIAC Playoff quarterfinal matchup.

Conquering Concordia

Women’s Soccer Shuts Out Concordia On Senior Day

Posted on October 25th, 2016 by Trent Jackson

Sophie Leininger (center) celebrates with teammates. Leininger led the Gusties with two goals and an assist.

BOX SCORE
ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s soccer team was lifted by two goals from co-captain Sophie Leininger (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) as the Gusties shut out Concordia College on senior day, Tuesday afternoon at Gustie Soccer Field.
With the win Gustavus improves to 10-5-2 overall (6-4 MIAC), while the Cobbers fall to 4-10-3 (1-8-1 MIAC).
“We wanted to play for the seniors and all the hard work they’ve put in over the last four years,” said Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie. “What they’ve done for the program and how they’ve helped set our standard of excellence is admirable, so it was great to be able to get the result in honor of them. Ultimately, the team is on a mission to finish the season strong and clinch that playoff spot and they are proving that every game.”
In the first period the Gustie attack peppered the Concordia defense with 19 shots, three of which snuck past goalkeeper Maddy Reed.
Around 12 minutes into the game, Maddison Ackiss (Sr., Fairbanks, Alaska) took a shot and Leininger buried the rebound to tally her first goal of the season. Leininger added another goal at the 24th minute mark when Emily Skogseth (So., Burnsville, Minn.) centered the ball to Leininger, who put a shot into the top left corner of the goal.
“Sophie is a such a crafty player and despite not having the points to show for it this year, much of our attack still goes through her,” Burnett-Kurie commented. “It was great to see her breakthrough and not only score, but to score a second in the first half.”
At the 32nd minute, Ackiss recorded her team-leading ninth goal of the season to give Gustavus a 3-0 cushion with a great shot from 30 yards out, registering a goal in three-straight games. Leininger was credited with the assist on the goal to notch her fifth point of the game, which is an individual game high for Leininger and the Gusties.
In the second period Concordia stole away some of the Gustavus momentum, outshooting the Gusties 11-3. Despite a strong push-back, the Black and Gold defense stood tall. Goalkeeper Roisen Granlund (Sr., St. Paul, Minn.) came in to assist starting goalie Ashley Becker (So., Farmington, Minn.) at the 75th minute mark and backstopped the Gusties with six saves. Becker was credited with her 10th win of the season.
“We are so happy to see Roisen get some minutes and show what she’s capable of. Everyday she works hard in practice and continues to push herself and everyone within the program to reach that next level. Today she had the opportunity to step onto the field and help hold down the fort to secure that goose egg,” Burnett-Kurie mentioned.
Gustavus closes out the regular season at Hamline University on Saturday at 11 a.m.
“We are very focused on finishing out the season strong, but today’s post-game was all about honoring our spectacular senior class and their families. They’ve given so much to this program it’s difficult to truly honor them,” said Burnett-Kurie.

"Krushing" St. Kate's

Three-Goal Second Half Propels Women’s Soccer To Victory At St. Kate’s

Posted on October 22nd, 2016 by Trent Jackson

Senior co-captain Jana Elliott scored the game-winner for the Gusties.

BOX SCORE
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s soccer team was guided by three-goals in the second period to capture a road win from St. Catherine University Saturday afternoon.
The Gustie’s fourth win on the road pushed their overall record to 9-5-2 (5-4 MIAC), while the Wildcats fall to 9-5-1 (4-4-1 MIAC).
“Today was a big win for us,” said Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie. “The team came out ready to fight and they did just that. We gave up an early goal, but the team kept their heads and continued to fight. Everyone did their jobs and more, which helped us get our results. It was a physical battle, but we moved the ball well and were relentless in our attack.”
St. Catherine got on the scoresheet first, just under three minutes into the six-goal game. Kaitlin Machovec tallied her third goal of the season to give the Wildcats an early lead. An own goal by St. Kate’s at the 33rd minute allowed the Gusties to even the score at 1-1, which stood as the score after one period of play. 
Gustavus stepped up the second half and took a 3-1 lead with goals from Maddison Ackiss (Sr., Fairbanks, Alaska) and Jana Elliott (Sr., Eagan, Minn.). Ackiss posted her team-leading eighth goal of the season and Elliott notched her second goal of the season as well as her first point in seven games. Emily Skogseth (So., Burnsville, Minn.) and Hannah Sturtz (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) each added helpers on the goals.
Moments later St. Kate’s cut the Gustie lead to 3-2 as Machovec scored her second goal of the game from a header off a corner kick. However, around five minutes later Gustavus would wipe out the Wildcat’s comeback hopes with more contributions from Skogseth and Sturtz. Skogseth fed Sturtz who put a shot high-corner past St. Kate’s goalkeeper to seal a 4-2 victory for the Black and Gold. The four goals is the most by the Gusties during a conference game this season.
In the past five games, Skogseth and Sturtz have each tallied five points. Skogseth’s two assists today stands as a career-high and a goal and assist for Sturtz is also a career-high three points.
Gustavus outshot St. Kate’s 19-17, while the Wildcats led the Gusties in corner kicks 5-4. Goalkeeper Ashley Becker (So., Farmington, Minn.) made seven saves to record her ninth win of the season. Her 80 saves on the season is tied for the MIAC lead.
“Now we have to focus on finishing our the regular season,” Burnett-Kurie commented. “The MIAC is always super tight which means we need to focus on the last two games, both of which will be tough battles, in order to give us a spot in the playoffs. No game is an easy game in our conference.”
Gustavus has just two regular season games remaining on the schedule and returns home for senior day to take on Concordia College Tuesday afternoon at Gustie Soccer Field.

Gusties Get the W from UW-Stout

Ackiss Leads Charge As Women’s Soccer Edges UW-Stout, 2-1

Posted on October 19th, 2016 by Trent Jackson

Maddison Ackiss recorded her third two-goal game of the season.

BOX SCORE 
MENOMONIE, Wis. – The Gustavus women’s soccer team defeated the University of Wisconsin-Stout 2-1 in a non-conference matchup Wednesday night.
Just two games ago last Saturday, Maddison Ackiss (Sr., Fairbanks, Alaska) powered the Gusties with a two-goal game in the win at Bethel. Ackiss proved to be lethal once again as she tallied two goals to lead Gustavus to victory. Ackiss’s team-leading sixth and seventh goals stand as her third two-goal game of the season and the sixth multi-goal game of her career.
With the win Gustavus improves to 8-5-2 overall while the Blue Devils fall to 5-8-1.
“Tonight was a great game for the team,” said Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie. “We started out strong, moving the ball very well and it paid off with a goal fairly early in the first half.” 
The first goal came just seven minutes into the game when Emily Skogseth (So., Burnsville, Minn.) threaded the ball in behind to Ackiss for her sixth goal of the season. Skogseth’s helper was her third of the season.
The Gusties and the Blue Devils each posted three shots each as Gustavus left the first period leading 1-0.
At the 54th minute of the second period, Hannah Sturtz (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) notched her third assist of the season working hard to get around the outside of her defender and crossed the ball to Ackiss who recorded the eventual game-winning goal for the Gusties, her third game-winner of the season.
“Stout gained some momentum in the first half, but nothing that our team was unable to handle defensively. In the second half, we controlled the majority of play except when Stout made a strong push in the final ten minutes,” Burnett-Kurie commented.
UW-Stout made a strong push-back in the second half and cut the Gustie lead in half with 10 minutes to go in the match, but it wasn’t quite enough. Goalkeeper Ashley Becker (So., Farmington, Minn.) enjoyed strong play from the Gustie defensive unit as they only allowed two Blue Devils shots on goal. Becker recorded her eighth win of the season. 
“We talked at the end of the game how it was a great overall performance, especially on the road on a weeknight,” Burnett-Kurie said. “The team is really starting to click on the field, which is great to see. We know what level we are able to play at, and now it’s about maintaining that urgency, work ethic, and desire to achieve it heading into our final three games. We made a commitment a couple weeks back to focus on finishing the conference strong and doing what we needed in order to make it to the conference tournament. We need to focus on one game at a time to achieve that goal.” 
Gustavus looks to carry the momentum into the weekend and secure a MIAC Playoff spot with three conference games remaining in the regular season. The Gusties return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play Saturday afternoon as they travel to St. Paul, Minn. to take on St. Catherine University.

Weakend by Wartburg

 

 

 

Women’s Soccer Drops Non-Conference Match To Wartburg

Posted on October 16th, 2016 by Trent Jackson

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY
ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s soccer team fell by a score of 3-0 in a non-conference matchup against Wartburg College Sunday afternoon at Gustie Soccer Field.
The loss moves the Gusties to 7-5-2 overall while the Knights improve to 8-3-2 overall after their third consecutive shutout.
Alyssa Drewelow scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season at the 25th minute mark of the first period to put Wartburg on the board. Morgan Neuendorf sent a cross that Drewelow buried from the left side to seal which stood as the game-winning goal.
Neuendorf found her way on the scoresheet again for the Knights as she streaked down field and took a pass from Alyssa Hewitt to push the lead to 2-0. Just three minutes later, Wartburg increased its lead to 3-0 with a goal from Nicole Adair.
“Credit them for scoring three, but they were fixable mistakes for us,” said Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie. “They were breakdowns defensvily that are easily fixable and the big thing is to take what we did well walk away with some confidence.”
Goalkeeper Ashley Becker (So., Farmington, Minn.) was handed her fifth loss of the season despite making some big saves for the Gusties. Just before the Knight’s first goal, Becker sprawled out towards the top-right corner of the goal to deny a great shot from Adair. “Definitely the save of the year, it was unbelievable,” commented Burnett-Kurie.
Gustavus was outshot by Wartburg 16-11. The Knights also led in corner kicks, 6-2. Emily Skogseth (So., Burnsville, Minn.) led the Gusties with two shots on goal.
“We had moments when we moved the ball around and were in dangerous on the field, but we either didn’t get the shot off or we weren’t quite able to finish,” Burnett-Kurie said. “This isn’t necessarily a setback because we played well. We got every healthy field player in today, which was nice to see. Having that urgency and finishing opportunities is big, that’s what we learned today. We have to fight to the end in this conference, so hopefully Wednesday we can build some confidence.”
The Black and Gold next head to Menomonie, Wis. on Wednesday for another non-conference matchup, taking on the Universtity of Wisconsin-Stout.

Beating Bethel

Ackiss and Becker Power Women’s Soccer To Victory At Bethel

Posted on October 15th, 2016 by Trent Jackson

BOX SCORE
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s soccer team was carried by strong defense and two goals from Maddison Ackiss (Sr., Fairbanks, Alaska), leading to a 2-0 shutout at Bethel University Saturday afternoon.
“We started really well for a second game in a row,” said Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie. “The team is on a mission and they’ve been performing well. Right from the gates we controlled the tempo and created a lot of dangerous opportunities. We put Bethel on their heels to start. In the second half Bethel came out strong, but our team rose to the challenge. Our entire team worked tirelessly defensively and still created a few dangerous looks, including a shot off the crossbar.”
Just three minutes into the game, Ackiss notched what stood as the game-winning goal for the Gusties. Ackiss scored unassisted to post her fourth of the season.
Ackiss’s fifth goal of the season and second of the game came just five minutes later as Hannah Sturtz (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) tallied her second helper of the season to push the Gustavus lead to 2-0.
The two-goal game stands as Ackiss’s fifth multi-goal game of her career and her second this season.

“As we’ve said before, Ackiss is the complete package. It’s hard to defend against her because she’s technical, deadly in the open field and super smart. Sturtz also had an outstanding game as much of our attack went through her. It’s fun to see the player she’s developed into,” Burnett-Kurie said.

In comparison, Bethel led in shots with 18 to the Gusties’ nine. Gustavus led in corner kicks with five compared to the Royals’ two.
Goalkeeper Ashley Becker (So., Farmington, Minn.) posted a career-high 10 saves to record her fifth shutout of the season and the 16th of her career.
“Everyday Ashley is working to become the best goalkeeper she can be. It’s through her mentality and desire to improve that has helped her elevate her game especially the last couple games,” commented Burnett-Kurie.
Tomorrow the Gusties host a non-conference matchup against Wartburg College at 2:30 p.m.

Success Against St. Benedict

Katie Johnson and teammates celebrate her first career goal in Black and Gold.

Early Lead Guides Women’s Soccer To Win Over Saint Benedict

Posted on October 11th, 2016 by Trent Jackson

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY
ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s soccer team got off to an early lead in the first period and eventually prevailed by a score of 2-1 to defeat the College of Saint Benedict Tuesday afternoon at Gustie Soccer Field.
With the win the Gusties get back on track after two consecutive shutout losses. Gustavus moves to 6-4-2 (3-4 MIAC), while the Blazers of Saint Benedict fall to 7-4-2 (3-3-1 MIAC).
“It was great to get back on the scoring sheet and it was nice to score early to get our confidence going,” said Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie. “It’s crunch time in the second half of the conference season and you have to gut out wins, and that’s what we did today.”
Not much over ten minutes into the first period, Maddison Ackiss (Sr., Fairbanks, Alaska) sent a corner kick into the box to Katie Johnson (So., Duluth, Minn.), who put home her first collegiate goal.
“She (Johnson) was in the right place at the right time and it was great for her because she has been working super hard to earn minutes so it was nice to see her on the scoresheet,” Burnett-Kurie commented.
Another assist was credited to Ackiss just five minutes later as she ripped a shot that was blocked by a Blazer defender and then ended up on the foot up Emily Skogseth (So., Burnsville, Minn.), who put away her third goal of the season, tieing Ackiss for the team-lead.
In the first period the Gusties led the Blazers in shots (6-5) and corner kicks (2-0).
“A lot of our style of play is built on hard work. When it comes down to a game like this, the details make the big difference. The fact that we were focused to get the job done willed us to a victory,” Burnett-Kurie said.
Saint Benedict came out with a strong attack in the second period and eventually cut the lead to 2-1 at the 54th minute from a breakaway goal by Taylor Ledin, her team-leading 10th of the season.
Despite being outshot by a margin of 10-3 in the second half by the Blazers, the Gustie defense stood strong. Goalkeeper Ashley Becker (So., Farmington, Minn.) tied a season-high with nine saves, including five in the second half to record her sixth win of the season.
“Becker came up huge. She controlled the box and came off her line well. At the end of the day, the team figured it out,” said Burnett-Kurie.
On Saturday, Gustavus heads to Arden Hills, Minn. to face Bethel University at 1 p.m.

Auggies Found the Net

Women’s Soccer Shut Out At Augsburg

 

 

Posted on October 7th, 2016 by Trent Jackson

BOX SCORE
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s soccer team was shut out for the second game in a row as it fell by a score of 2-0 at Augsburg College Friday night at Edor Nelson Field.
With the loss the Gusties now move to 5-4-2 (2-4 MIAC), while the Auggies stay undefeated on their home turf and move to 9-2 (4-1 MIAC).
Gustavus was unable to generate a strong attack as it only recorded two shots on goal and 10 shots total. Coursey Edwards (Sr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Emily Skogseth (So., Burnsville, Minn.) each registered one shot on goal.
“We played well tonight, just struggled to get the reward of putting the ball in the back of the net,” said Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie.
The Auggies’ top scorer, Ashley St. Aubin put in a rebound goal after a shot from Ciara Gregory to record her 10th goal of the season at the 26th minute of the first period, which proved to be the game-winner. St. Aubin also led the Auggies with six shots, four being on net.
Around halfway through the second period, Ciara Gregory posted her second assist of the game after feeding Carter Denison who added an insurance goal to give Augsburg a 2-0 lead, in which Gustavus was unable to answer.
Augsburg outshot the Gusties 18-10, 10-2 shots on target. Gustavus and Augsburg each tallied four corner kicks.
Goalkeeper Ashley Becker (So., Farmington, Minn.) made eight saves as she suffered her fourth loss of the season.
“We can certainly take some positives away from this game and prepare for our next matchup. Every game in the MIAC is always a battle, never an easy game,” Burnett-Kurie said.
The Black and Gold return home next week to take on Saint Benedict at the Gustie Soccer Field, Tuesday, October 11.

September Run for Kicks Success

It was a big month for the Gusties off the field, as school kicked off and classes began at full swing.  However, we managed to have a lot of fun in our free time hosting our 2nd Annual Run for Kicks 5k Race. This 5k has been very successful for us and the participation has doubled from year-to-year with this year having close to 60 runners!

We are also fortunate to have many generous sponsors for this event as well. We greatly appreciate their contribution to our program this year! A list of our sponsors can be found at the bottom of this blog post. 

The race began at 10:00am on Sunday, September 18th in the Gustavus Arboretum.  It was the perfect fall morning to run a 5k, as the sun was shining in and out of the trees throughout the course.  With all our teammates scattered along the trail cheering the participants on, it created a fun and positive atmosphere for all.

Gustie Supporters take their marks at 10am

 We had many fellow Gusties come out to run and the support of our family members as well.  Each participant put up some impressive times, as the Gustavus Cross Country Coach, Brenden Huber, came in first place.  Our second place finisher was a student, Ryan Maroney, a big fan of the Gustavus Women's Soccer team.  Ryan was not far behind Coach Huber in the race because he ran cross country in high school -running came natural to him.  Coach Huber however, has had some years of preparation for this race, and the smile below shows his hard work had paid off.

Cross Country Coach, Brenden Huber winning the race.

Not only were students, faculty and family running the 5k, but our assistant coach, BENTON FRAYNE ran too!  The players absolutely loved how dedicated Benton was to support the team for the 5k.  He shared with us his thoughts about the race and experience.

"I started out running with Coach Huber, which was a bad idea (he's too fast).  Honestly, the support of the team was great and got me through it.  I felt good afterwards and the feeling of achievement was great.  To complete anything physically challenging is always rewarding."

I'm sure Benton also loved the granola bar, banana, and Gatorade reward after the race as well.

Benton was so enthusiastic about the day, "the best part of the experience was seeing the team come together and put on such a great event.  Seeing all of the families and Gustie community coming out to support the team was great!"

One of our players, Junior, Sophie Leininger, has been the brains behind this entire event.  We sat down with her to ask about the idea, and she shared "my family and I help at the 5k my aunt hosts on Thanksgiving morning in Minneapolis.  Running is a huge part of my Aunt and Uncle's lives, and so they suggested we could raise funds for our team if we hosted our own 5k.  And so, with their help, my mom (Lisa Leininger) and aunt (Barb Leininger) put it together!" 

The team is thankful to have such an innovative and supportive family help us make this event possible.  The Leininger family has done so much to help build this program.  Each year, Sophie looks forward to this event with the team, "it's very cool to see all the student support grow.  I am excited to see us hopefully reach more St. Peter residents next year, and be able to put on another smooth and fun event for everyone!"

We are incredibly pleased with how awesome of a day this event was, and cannot wait to host again next year!

Below are a couple more photos from the day.

Race Check-In

 

 

Gustavus Women's Soccer Team

 

 A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS: 

Running Ventures, Minneapolis, MN
Center for Muscle and Joint Therapy, Superior, WI
World Block, Duluth, MN
Canyon Lake Veterinary Hospital, Rapid City, SD
Angeno's Pizza, Brooklyn Park, MN
The Tax Book, Minnetonka, MN
Pulse, St. Peter, MN
Chris Nelson, SD
David and Sandra Wilbur, MN
Skip and Tammy Sturtz, MN
Gregg and Lisa Leininger, MN

Carleton Conquered the Gusties

 Below is the recap of the Gusties game.  Still adapting to the situations we place ourselves in, in games, we still could not find ourselves.  We are hoping to turn this around for the second half of the season.

Women’s Soccer Shut Out By Carleton

Posted on October 1st, 2016 by Trent Jackson

Grace Brustad with a throw-in during the Gusties homecoming matchup with Carleton. (photo courtesy of Gunnar Ledin '20)

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

ST. PETER, Minn. – Carleton College earned its first win of the season as they defeated the Gustavus women’s soccer team by a score of 3-0 Saturday afternoon at Gustie Soccer Field.

The Gusties suffered their third loss of the season during homecoming to move their record to 5-3-2 (2-3 MIAC). Carleton recorded its first victory and is now 1-8-2 (1-3-1 MIAC).

An even first half left both squads scoreless. Carleton led Gustavus in shots (4-2) and corner kicks (3-0) in the first period. The Gusties came back strong in the second period as they outshot the Knights 6-4, but couldn’t put one past Carleton goalkeeper Elaine Sundberg, who made four saves and posted her second shutout of the season.

At the 50th minute, Carleton’s Connor Kasch sent a corner to the middle of the box and Madeline Topf headed the ball past Gustie netminder Ashley Becker (So., Farmington, Minn.). Topf’s second goal of the season proved to be the turning point of the game as the Knights took control and scored two more goals to seal the win. Laura Kiernan and Topf tallied the second and third goals for the Knights.

“We need to be more dangerous in the final-third,” said Assistant Coach Benton Frayne. “We had a couple of good looks today but it is just not enough to put a team like Carleton on their heels.”
The Gustie’s best chance came at the 30th minute mark of the first period when Maddison Ackiss (Sr., Fairbanks, Alaska) ripped a shot off the crossbar.

“We have a specific style that we are looking to play, called the ‘Gustie tempo’ and at moments we saw that today. We need to have a sense of urgency and trust in ourselves and our teammates. We also need to continue to work together and believe in what we are doing. We know we’re a good team and we didn’t get the result today, but good things will come eventually,” Frayne commented.
The Black and Gold next travel to Minneapolis, Minn. to face Augsburg College next Friday, October 7.