SOCCER: Bemidji State falls to Upper Iowa 1-0 in first round of NSIC playoffs
FAYETTE, Iowa – The Bemidji State soccer team saw its 2012 postseason run cut short Wednesday as Upper Iowa defeated the Beavers 1-0 in the quarterfinal round of the NSIC / US Bank Women’s Soccer Tournament at Pattison Field in Fayette, Iowa.
The game was a tale of two halves, as No. 3-seeded Upper Iowa controlled most of the play in the first half, outshooting No. 6 seed Bemidji State 8-0 in the first 45 minutes.
Sophomore goalkeeper Sonja Barr made three saves and allowed one goal in the half.
Third-seeded Upper Iowa jumped on the board first.
In the 24th minute, Corinne Wronski got the lone goal when the ball was crossed across the six-yard box and Wronski was able to get her foot on it and knock it past Barr.
Down 1-0 at half, the Beavers fought hard in the second half, outshooting UIU 7-4, while only allowing one shot on goal.
BSU created multiple scoring chances, notching all three shots on goal in the final 45 minutes but was unable to get a result.
In the 86th minute, the Beavers got their best scoring chance but just missed tying the game when sophomore Mary O’Brien took a shot for BSU that hit the crossbar.
Upper Iowa goalkeeper Amanda Smith jumped up but the ball was out of her reach and she lost her balance, hitting the ground.
The ball bounced right to freshman Megan Castro, who headed the ball towards the back of the net, but Smith somehow rose from the ground and made a finger-tip save. That was Smith’s third and final save of the match.
Barr made a total of four saves in the game and ended the season with an 8-4-2 record.
Castro led the Beavers offensively, registering two of BSU’s three shots on goal.
The 1-0 loss marked the 13th one-goal match the Beavers played in this season.
The Beavers are now 3-8-2 in NSIC Tournament games under head coach Jim Stone, making the postseason in nine of his 11 seasons at the helm of the program.
The match also saw the end of the collegiate playing career of Bemidji State’s lone senior, Mallory Lowe.
BSU closed its 2012 campaign with an overall record of 10-7-2, while it finished in sixth place in the final NSIC with a 8-5-2 mark.
The Peacocks, now 15-2-2, will take on No. 2 seed Winona State in Friday’s semifinals in Mankato. WSU beat No. 7 seeded St. Cloud State 3-0 Friday.
In other NSIC tournament action, top-seeded MSU-Mankato beat No. 8 Minnesota-Duluth 5-0, while No. 4 Minot State defeated No. 5 University of Mary 2-1.
