MITCHELL, S.D. — Dakota Wesleyan Women's Soccer squared off against the RV Morningside Mustangs to close the regular season.
The Mustangs and Tigers both came into the evening's matchup tied atop the conference in defense, with both teams in first place with only 12 goals allowed throughout the year. The efforts of Abigail Colgrove were on full display, as the reigning GPAC Defensive Player of the Week recorded five saves on five shots-on-goal en route to her eighth shutout of the season. The backline also helped slow down a Morningside offense that is second in the GPAC this season in goals scored, with 45 in total. Molly Colgrove, Reese Leighton, Mikayla Adams, and Genesis Mendez all played for a full 90 minutes and were crucial in aiding Colgrove in the net. The Morningside defense was just as impressive as Dakota Wesleyan's, however, as the Mustangs were able to limit DWU's shot attempts in both halves. Dakota Wesleyan took their initial four shot attempts in the first 23 minutes of competition before being shut out from opportunities until the second half of play, with Noelie Prat getting two early shots off, followed up by Annika Enevoldsen and Hannah Petrucci. The offensive trio accounted for all four of the team's shots on goal throughout the contest and combined for six shots in total. The first half ended scoreless on both sides.
The second half saw a much more aggressive approach from Morningside, who outshot the Tigers 9-2 down the stretch. Even with more chances to score, the Dakota Wesleyan defense remained unfazed. Contributions from Jacque Madrid and Meghan Hutchison kept Morningside scoreless for the rest of the contest, but the Tigers still had trouble mounting a counterattack. Both teams were waiting for the other's defense to falter, but neither would give up ground as the game continued. Late yellow cards on both sides provided more opportunities at the net, but both goalies continued to play at an elite level. Ultimately, the contest came to a close at a 0-0 scoreless draw as the Tigers ended the regular season with a 5-3-8 overall record and 4-2-5 in GPAC play.
DWU Women's Soccer will head to the GPAC Quarterfinals as the six-seed, where they will head down to Nebraska to face the third-seeded Hastings Broncos on Tuesday, November 4th, at 7:00 PM. More information is available here.