U-Mary outlasts Bemidji State in penalty kicks for NSIC Tournament win
Deadlocked at 0-0 for 110 minutes, it took a shootout to decide the winner of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament quarterfinal match up Wednesday at Chet Anderson Stadium. In the end the University of Mary outlasted Bemidji State University in the ninth round of penalty kicks and will advance to the tournament semifinals.
In the ninth round of the shout out, with the team’s tied 8-8 and BSU with the ball and a chance to win, U Mary goalkeeper Madisyn Waltman made the stop to send the eighth-seeded Marauders on to Mankato, Minn. and the semifinal round.
U Mary will now meet fourth-seeded Minot State University at 2 p.m. Friday for the right to move on to the NSIC Tournament Championship and an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. The other semifinal match up will feature Minnesota State University, Mankato and Augustana University.
The Marauders used the wind during the first half to out shoot BSU 7-5 and hold the Beavers to just three shots on goal. During the second half BSU controlled play, out shooting UM 9-3 but were unable to get any significant clear lanes to the goal setting the teams up for overtime.
During the first 10-minute overtime period, BSU again pressed and held possession of the ball for the bulk of the frame, but again Waltman made stops on both of BSU’s shots on net.
Fobbe stopped all five shots she faced during 110 minutes of play to extend her single-season shutout record to 11, while she has not allowed a goal in her last 484:15 in goal to rank and the third-longest shutout streak in BSU soccer history. She is 17-0-2 on the season.
The No. 4 Beavers remain unbeaten at 17-0-2 overall and if they are to continue their 2018 campaign, they will have to wait an see if they have done enough to earn fan at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. At the conclusion of the season, the top eight teams from each region advance to the regional tournament, which is hosted by the two highest remaining seeds, Nov. 9 and 11.
Senior Rachael Norton was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Year, becoming just the second player in league history to earn back-to-back player of the year honors and the first since Holly Sutton of Winona State University was selected for the award in 2006 and 2007. Fellow senior Anna Fobbe was named the Goalkeeper of the Year and Jim Stone became the first coach in league history to be named Coach of the Year in three consecutive seasons.
Midfielder Dani Nelson, forward Allyson Smith and defender Tia Neuharth joined Norton and Fobbe on the All-NSIC first team. Midfielder Melanie Peltier and freshman backliner Megan Dahl were recognized as Second Team All-NSIC selections.
The seven All-NSIC selections match a program record set at the conclusion of the 2016 season and repeated last fall, while the Beavers’ five first-team picks is a new high-water mark for the program.
Norton, a two-time All-NSIC First Team selection and four-time All-NSIC pick, was the most dominant offensive force in the NSIC in 2018. She finished the regular season leading the league in points (46), points per game (2.56), goals (19), goals per game (1.06), assists (8), assists per game (0.56), game-winning goals (5), shots (93) and shots per game (5.17). Her career-high and BSU single-season record 46 points was good for fourth among NCAA Division II’s top scorers, while she was fifth in goals scored, 10th in points per game and 12th in goals per game. In addition, she established new single-season team marks for goals and shots. She recorded five multi-point matches in 2018, recorded three-or-more points in six-of-19 appearances and logged a streak of nine straight matches with a goal, from Sept. 9 to Oct. 7, during which she recorded 12 goals and four assists.
A team captain, Norton became just the second BSU player to surpass 100 collegiate points and has settled atop BSU’s all-time scoring list with 122 points. In addition, her 48 goals is a program record, while her 14 game-winning goals and 26 assists place her second all-time.
A first-time All-NSIC pick, Fobbe was the driving force behind the NSIC’s stingiest defense in 2018. As a team, the Beavers allowed just eight goals, while recording a 0.44 goals against average and 13 shutouts. At 17-0-2, she finished the regular season with the league’s best goals against average (0.46), was tied atop the NSIC shutouts list (10) and was second in save percentage (.904). On a national level, she was fifth in save percentage and 15th in goals against average. The senior set single-season program marks for wins (17) shutouts (11) and goals against average (0.43), and matched Kari Torgerson’s 2005 season for a program-best .909 save percentage. The senior posted two shutout streaks of at least 430 minutes, which included a 484:15 string to rank as the third-longest streak of all time at BSU.
Fobbe has placed herself among the greatest goalkeepers in BSU history. Her career record of 38-10-3 places her atop the program’s wins list, her 0.68 goals against average is a BSU all-time best and her 21 career shutouts stands as a program record, while her .861 save percentage is third in BSU soccer history.
Stone, who is in his 17th season at BSU, earns his fourth NSIC Coach of the Year Award. He led the 2018 Beavers to a program-best 17 victories, its second consecutive unbeaten regular season and a 14-0-1 record en route the program’s first regular-season NSIC championship. Defensively, Stone’s team led the league in goals allowed, goals against average and posted an NSIC-best 12 shutouts. BSU ranked second in the NSIC in points (139), points per game (7.22), goals (45), goals per game (2.50), assists (49) and assists per game (2.72). Allowing only eight goals, the 2018 team established a program record 0.41 goals against average to rank among the nation’s top 10 NCAA Division II programs. In addition, BSU was ranked in the United Soccer Coaches national poll for eight straight weeks and reached as high as a program-best No. 3.
Nelson, a senior captain, pulls in her second All-NSIC honor following a second-team pick a year ago. Appearing in 17 matches, the midfielder is third on the team in scoring with 14 points. Her two game-winning goals and four assists each match career highs. Of her 35 shots, 13 have landed on goal to place her fourth on the team in both categories.
In 75 matches, the senior has 14 goals, including four game-winners, and 12 assists for 40 points.
The 2017 Freshman of the Year, Allyson Smith earned her second All-NSIC selection and her inaugural first-team pick. The sophomore is second on the team with eight goals, including four game-winners, seven assists and 23 points despite missing four matches due to injury. She led the league in assists per game (0.50), is third in the league with seven assists, fourth in shots per game (3.57), goals per game (0.57) and points per game (1.64), and fifth among her league counterparts in points.
In just two seasons Smith has already accumulated 50 points to rank 11th on BSU’s all-time scoring list. Her 17 assists match Abi Nyquist for eighth all-time, while her seven game-winning goals place her sixth in Beaver Soccer history.
A junior defender, Neuharth earned her second All-NSIC honor after pulling in a second-team award following her sophomore season in 2017. Neuharth started all 19 matches and played in a team-high 1,677 minutes to anchor a backline that established BSU single-season records while leading the league in goals allowed, goals allowed average and shutouts. BSU surrendered just over eight shots per game and allowed a meager four shots on goal per match. The junior also chipped in offensively posting career-highs with two goals and two assists. In addition, both of her goals stood as game-winners to rank third on the team.
In 58 games played, Neuharth has three goals and five assist for 11 points.
Peltier, a first-time Second Team All-NSIC pick, matched Smith for second on the team with a career-high seven assists, while finishing seventh with seven points. She started all 19 matches for the Beavers and ranked fifth on the team with 1,424 minutes played. She was a driving force in a BSU attack that ranked second in points (139), points per game (7.22), goals (45), goals per game (2.50), assists (49) and assists per game (2.72).
In 57 matches, the junior has pilled up two goals and 10 assists for 14 points.
Freshman Megan Dahl rounds out BSU’s list of all-conference picks on the second team. The center back was a rock for the Beavers in 2018 and was a major reason the team posted program marks for goals allowed, goals allowed average and shutouts while sitting among the nation’s best in all three categories. The newcomer also added a goal and an assist.
In addition to Norton, Fobbe and Stone, the NSIC also announced Augustana University’s Rebekah Thorsen as its defensive player of the year, while the league’s freshman of the year nod went to Augie’s Alexis Legg.
The No. 4 Beavers remain unbeaten at 17-0-2 overall and if they are to continue their 2018 campaign, they will have to wait and see if they have done enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. At the conclusion of the season, the top eight teams from each region advance to the regional tournament, which is hosted by the two highest remaining seeds, Nov. 9 and 11.
The NCAA will officially announce advancing teams at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 5 as a part of its online selection show at NCAA.com.