MANKATO, Minn. -- The Augustana women's soccer team (12-3-1) couldn't recover from an early two-goal deficit against the Minnesota State Mavericks (14-2-0) and ultimately fell 2-1 in Mankato, Minnesota on Friday afternoon. 

Minnesota State scored just three minutes into the contest when Nadia Lowery knocked in her fifth goal of the season. Just over 10 minutes later, Jenny Veter scored her 15th goal of the season for the Mavericks while Lowery cashed in on the assist to give Minnesota State a 2-0 lead. 

The Vikings jumped right back into the game in the 21st minute when senior forward Grace Behm sniped her team-leading seventh goal of the season to the top-right corner of the Maverick net. Freshman midfielder Kelly Kleekamp cashed in on the assist as the Vikings cut the Maverick lead in half. 

Before the first half ended, Seniors Jensen Froehlich and Claire Dahm nearly tied the contest after a scramble in front of the net led to a couple of second-chance opportunities, however, Minnesota State kept the ball out of the net to preserve the lead. 

Overall, the Vikings tallied nine shots and placed two of them on goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Claudia Pueschner tallied eight saves in the loss, including a couple of highlight-reel opportunities that kept the match to a one-score game. 

Up Next
The Vikings return to Sioux Falls on Sunday to take on the Golden Bears of Concordia-St. Paul (13-0-2) at 1 p.m. at Morstad Field.