Box Score
The Augustana women's soccer team's first experience with playoff soccer was short-lived as the Northern State Wolves upset Augie 2-0 at the last game played by the Vikings at Yankton Trails Park.
In front of 117 fans, the Vikings (13-5-1) lost back-to-back games for the first time all season and dropped just their third game at home.
Northern State (11-3-7), who lost to Augie 2-1 earlier in the season, was pushed by their leading scorer Kaylee McDonald who had a goal and an assist in the contest.
The two teams battled tough winds in the first half as both teams were unable to score a goal, but 3:59 into the second half, McDonald put the Wolves on the board after connecting with a header from freshman Kirsten Saunders for the game winner.
Saunders and McDonald would hook up again as McDonald fed Saunders on the left wing for her fourth goal of the season at the 57:20 mark. Sophomore Maggie Fedor was also credited with an assist on the play.
With the Vikings' leading scorer Katie Shandri on the bench for most of the game due to an injury, Augustana was able to put up seven shots on goal and 16 total in the game.
Senior Katelyn Ley led the Vikings offensively recording 4 shots on net and 6 total in the game, while fellow senior Lisa Jarovski lost her fifth decision of the season as she made 8 of 10 saves in net for Augustana.
The Wolves move on to play Minnesota State University, Mankato (13-3-2) on Friday at noon. The location of the game will be decided on the result of the Winona State (17-1-1) and Upper Iowa (9-8-3) matchup Wednesday night.
Augustana learned earlier on Wednesday that it remained sixth in the regional rankings, with the top six teams advancing to the NCAA Tournament. However, the Vikings must now wait and see what happens in the NSIC and RMAC Tournaments this weekend. Each tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Tournament field will be announced Sunday night.
