WARRENSBURG, Mo. – For nearly 85 minutes, Minot State University's combination of strong defense and timely goalkeeping kept No. 1 seed Central Missouri at bay.

The Beavers allowed 15 shots with five on goal with a strong wind in their faces in the first half and another nine with four on keeper Celene Johnson (Sr., Rocklin, Calif.) in the second, but kept a clean sheet.

That all changed with a penalty.

MSU was whistled for a foul in the box and the No. 8 ranked Jennies took advantage. UCM's Taylor Thompson scored on the penalty kick in the 85th minute to power the Jennies to a 2-0 win over Minot State in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Central Regional Sunday at Jennies Field.

"We played how we wanted to play and really how we needed to play for 85 minutes," MSU head coach Jason Spain said. "They (UCM) are very good and with the wind we needed to keep it in front of us. It's too bad, we thought we were headed for overtime, but the penalty."

The loss ends MSU's record-setting year that included a team-record for wins in a season, the team's first ever win in the NCAA tournament and its highest seed in the regional.

"We have a lot to be proud of. I told the girls that after," Spain said. "We had a great year. The difference is we need to move up to get that (first round) bye. It was a huge advantage for them to not have to travel and to rest and watch us play into overtime Friday. We are little beat up and we were a step behind them where we weren't in the regular season early in the year.

"That's out next goal and it's a big one."

The Beavers (16-5-1 overall) dodged a couple bullets early in the first half as Johnson made two key saves and caught or pushed away every one of the five shots on goal in the first 45 minutes. She make a huge sliding save on UCM's Julie Ireland in the first 10 minutes.

"Celene was very good again today for us," said Spain. "She caught just about everything which was a big key. She was active and did a good job of making the right decision. She had a good game overall."

MSU didn't muster much offensive push in the first half, mainly due to the wind, but partly due to a quick backline sent out by the Jennies. MSU had two shots in the first half and forced UCM's Ana Dilkes to make two saves. While the Beavers chose to mainly play defense in the first half, that mentality carried over too long into the second, according to Spain. MSU finished with just four shots and three on goal with the win at their backs in half two.

"I was hoping we could carry more possession in the second half," Spain said. "We carried that defensive mentality just a little too long in the second half and were trying to just get it out instead of possessing it. Part of that was how (the Jennies) played defense."

UCM (20-2-1) finished off any comeback attempts for the Beavers with a second goal two minutes after the first as the Beavers were pushed forward. Jada Scott netted her 10th of the year with a long run in the 87th minute.

MSU got four shots from Ninfa Ramirez (Jr., F, Perris, Calif.) and another from Emilie Rebelo (Sr., D, Sacramento, Calif.).

About Minot State
Minot State University is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Division II offering 14 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletics programs. The NSIC is a premier NCAA DII, 16-member conference featuring teams in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. The Beavers are the only public NCAA Division II institution in the state of North Dakota.