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St. Cloud State University
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Sports
Weather is no obstacle in soccer victory
By Drew Herron
Published:
Thursday, September 26, 2002
Media Credit: Benjamin Wichterman
SCSU sophomore forward Heidi Westrum and SWSU junior defenseman Lindsey Nelson collide midfield Wednesday as the Huskies defeated Southwest State University 2-1. The Huskies are now 5-1-1 in the NCC.
The rain, the 45 degree weather, and the muddy field; Mother Nature wasn’t able to stop SCSU on Wednesday and neither was Southwest State.
The weather, by all accounts, was an issue.
“I think it was a huge factor at the beginning,” said junior captain Grace Marinucci. “It takes us a while to get used to when the ball skids.”
In addition to the playing conditions, it was mentally challenging.
“Sometimes it’s hard to get the team motivated when it’s so cold outside,” said junior captain Jenny Ganser. “And we didn’t have as many fans cheering us on as we normally would.”
As miserable as the conditions seemed, the Huskies were all about getting down to business. Ganser got things started early for the Huskies. At 10:49, Ganser took a pass from sophomore Melissa Regnier off a direct kick, scoring the game’s first goal to give the Huskies the early lead.
The Mustangs answered back ten and a half minutes later to tie the game at one when senior forward Noelle Smith was able to sneak through two Husky defenders and put one past goalkeeper Stephanie Brendel. Brendel played the angle well enough, but Smith was in deep, and had time to place it where she wanted.
The momentum was back and forth the entire first half with both teams getting quality chances, but neither team dominating.
With the game tied at one, the Huskies finished the first half strong with an odd-man rush into the Mustangs zone in the final minute.
Sophomore Abbey Fredrickson gained control of the ball around mid-field and carried it deep in the Mustangs zone, setting up a quality scoring chance for sophomore Melissa Regnier.
Regnier got an excellent shot off, but Mustangs goalkeeper Lora Moldenhauer got a hand on the ball, deflecting into the crossbar, keeping the game tied.
Both teams came out strong in the beginning of the second half, adding fuel to a game that had already become pretty physical. Huskies forwards Heidi Westrum and Jennifer Gill were both issued yellow cards in the first half, but Marinucci dismissed the notion that the physical play was a direct result of the weather conditions.
“I think it’s just something that developed as the game went on. That’s one of our goals is being a more physical team this year,” Marinucci said.
The Huskies played a more controlled game in the second half, paying special attention to limit turnovers.
“We worked on possessing the ball from our defense, to our midfield, to our forwards,” Ganser said. “Whereas they would pass it back to their sweeper, and hope the rest of the team would run onto it. We tried to play a more controlled game.”
Huskies first-year player Ashley Rounds scored the eventual game-winner at 66:13, when she knocked in a perfectly placed corner kick by Marinucci.
The goal is Round’s third goal in two games, and the third of her career. The Huskies had the 2-1 lead, but they were by no means in the clear.
The Mustangs played aggressively and put solid pressure on the Huskies in the last ten minutes, but Husky defenders played conservatively and stingy.
Sophomore defenders Jessica Wolke, freshman Lyndsey Andreen, and senior captain Jessica Cella all played smart in the second half, and limited the number of quality scoring chances the Mustangs were able to produce.
The Huskies are set to open the NCC portion of their schedule when they host Northern Colorado, Friday at 4 p.m. at Halenbeck Field. This match-up could be an excellent opportunity to see how much the Huskies have improved.
“I think we definitely will give them a good game,” said Marinucci. “All of us are ready to play our hardest.”
UNC has owned the Huskies in past years, holding a 6-0 all-time advantage.
Last season, the Bears shut down SCSU in a 10-0 victory in Greeley, Colo.
The Bears, ranked 11th in the nation, bring a 5-0-1 record into town, outscoring their opponents 14-4 and posting three shutouts.
“I think a lot of people have underrated us,” said Marinucci.
“This is a chance to show them what we have.”
