WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Minot State University soccer team had its season ended Friday afternoon in a 3-1 loss to Central Oklahoma in an NCAA Division II Women's Soccer National Tournament first round game played at South Recreation Complex.
In a record-breaking season it was tough for head coach
Jason Spain to see his team play in their final game of the season.
"This senior class is the best to have played here at Minot State," Spain said. "Some of these players have played in three NCAA Tournaments."
The Bronchos were able to defeat the Beavers by scoring quickly to put the pressure on the Beavers. Morgan Cherry, a sophomore forward for UCO scored in less than four minutes on a breakaway shot.
Cherry scored the second goal for Central Oklahoma as well to give her team a 2-0 cushion going into halftime.
MSU put on the pressure in the first half, but couldn't find the back of the net as they out-shot UCO 10-7 and took five corner kicks to their opponent's one.
In the second half it was the Bronchos who put the pressure on as they out-shot MSU 11-6 and took five corners of their own compared to Minot State's three.
The Beavers were able to score first in the second half with a penalty kick taken by
Kelli Creese, but OCU responded with a goal of its own just seven minutes later, resulting in the 3-1 final score.
"Honestly, we just got outplayed," Spain said.
But Spain didn't want to forget about how much this team had accomplished this season.
"This was still an amazing season for MSU soccer," Spain said. "This team accomplished a lot, including the first ever regular season NSIC title at Minot State."
MSU finishes its season with a 16-3-1 overall record, which included a record-setting 14 NSIC wins.
The Beavers had seven players named to All-NSIC teams, including four on the first team.
Forwards
Ninfa Ramirez and
Chloe Melton who combined for 31 goals and 19 assists highlighted Minot State's season along with a stellar defense that recorded a record 11 shutouts.
Goalkeepers
Erin Rafferty (NSIC Goalkeeper and Freshman of the Year) and
Leila Torres allowed a record-low 13 goals against while combining for a .857 save percentage.
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.
– GO BEAVERS –
