SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Kicking off a weekend homestand, the Augustana women's soccer team used a strong second-half effort to score a pair of late goal to shutout Southwest Minnesota State, 2-0, on Friday afternoon at Morstad Field. The victory brings the Vikings (3-1-1, 2-0) win streak to three games, and drops SMSU to 1-3 (1-1) overall.
Augustana head coach
Brandon Barkus knows just how difficult wins can be in the Northern Sun Conference, and was pleased with his team ability to stick to the game plan and execute. 'Yeah, a ton of positives to build on," Barkus said. Riley Klose,
Julie Plonsky,
Alexis Legg as well as others really have a nose for the goal. I hope we can keep that going throughout the year."
After some great chances but no scoring in the first half, the Vikings continued to stay aggressive and attack the Mustangs. With less than 15 minutes to play,
Reiley Klose played a great ball to
Rebecca Gasper who fired and found the back of the net for a 1-nothing lead. Less than a minute later, it was
Alexis Legg scoring her team-leading 5th goal of the year. The freshman is now second in the NSIC in goals scored.
The story of the game was Augustana ability to continuously apply pressure in the Mustangs half of the pitch. The Vikings tailed a season-best 30 shots, 15 of which were on goal. The 30 shots are 6th all-time in program history, and the most the Vikings have shot since they poured in 32 vs. Upper Iowa (Sept. 19, 2015). 14 different players registered a shot, with Legg and
Peyton Stenzel both leading the team with four.
Not to be overlooked, redshirt freshman
Claudia Pueschner picked up her second career shutout, stopping all six shots she faced. She is also credited with the win and lowered her goals against average to 1.00
Fans who missed Augustana's impressive performance will have a chance to see the Vikings back in action this Sunday as they welcome in the cross-town rival University of Sioux Falls for 1 p.m. kickoff. Fans interested in more about Augustana women's soccer can click
here.
