Media contact: Scott King, kings@stolaf.edu, Voice telephone: (507) 646-3834; fax: (507) 646-3033
October 16, 1999
For Immediate Release
NORTHFIELD, Minn. -- The St. Olaf College women's soccer team came back from a two-goal deficit to defeat MIAC opponent Concordia College 3-2 in double overtime at Mellby Field Saturday. The win moves the Oles to 10-4 overall (3-4 MIAC) while the Cobbers fall to 8-5 (2-5 MIAC).
The Cobbers opened the scoring midway through the first frame as midfielder Marijka Belgum-Gabbert took a corner kick from senior Julie Fretheim and dropped a slow roller past Ole goalkeeper Kathy Ballard (So., Beavercreek, Ohio) to give Concordia a 1-0 lead. Both the Oles and Cobbers put together strong offensive pushes late in the first half, but Ballard and Cobber goalkeeper Kathy Braun both made several impressive saves to keep the score 1-0 at the half.
The second half saw the Cobbers push their lead to 2-0 on a Jordi Kortan goal at 53:34. The junior forward snuck behind the Ole defense, took a Whitney Ostrem pass and one-touched the ball to the back of the net to give the Cobbers a two-goal lead.
The Oles mounted several offensive charges in the second half -- Kristin Hamre (Sr., Roseville, Minn.), Carolyn Detjen (FY, Juneau, Alaska), Becca Loerch (FY, Apple Valley, Minn.) and Megan Gartner (So., Sioux Falls, S.D.) leading the way -- but were unable to put a point on the board until sophomore Hanni Wenker (Mendota Heights, Minn.) scored with just over 10 minutes to play. Wenker launched a gorgeous long shot from beyond the box and into the back of the Cobber net to cut the Concordia lead to 2-1.
St. Olaf tied the game with under two minutes remaining in regulation when Hamre lofted a ball over the head of Braun to knot the score at 2-2.
The first overtime saw both goalkeepers get peppered with shots. Once again Ballard and Braun were impressive, neither allowing a goal in the 15-minute overtime. Ballard made an incredible diving save with just 49 seconds remaining to keep the score tied and force a second overtime.
Both St. Olaf and Concordia had ample opportunities to score in the second overtime. The Cobbers' Alison Smith and Kortan both had good looks at the Ole goal, but were unable to convert. Kortan again looked like she was going to end the game with just over two minutes left when she broke away and had a one-on-one opportunity with Ballard, but her shot was just a few inches high, and sailed over the Ole net.
With time winding down, the Oles put together one last push that resulted in a Detjen goal with just 15 seconds remaining. The first-year forward took a Wenker pass and beat Braun to lift the Oles to a 3-2 victory.
"This is a huge win for us," said a smiling Ole head coach Judy Stromayer after the game. "Concordia is a very good team. Kortan is a great player, and they (Concordia) play a very physical game. We just kept knocking on the door, and some good things happened."
"I was very pleased with our passing and patience," Stromayer continued. "This was just a great college soccer game."
The Oles host the Bethel College Royals this coming Wednesday at 3:30 at Mellby Field, and then hit the road to take on UW-River Falls on October 23. The Cobbers travel to Augsburg on Wednesday to take on the Auggies.
St. Olaf is a four-year, coeducational liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) with a student enrollment of 2,998 and a full-time faculty of 257. The college is nationally known for its art, music, science, pre-medicine, mathematics, pre-law, international studies and religion curricula. It is one of Money Guide's top 100 "elite values in college education today," and it leads the nation's colleges in number of students who study abroad.