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St. Thomas women’s soccer team won 2-1 against Augsburg College at home on Saturday.

“The first half [of the game] we dominated, and made them look tired and unfit,” coach Sheila McGill said.

The Tommies came out hard early, and after an excellent assist from junior Regina Horak, senior Erin Sprangers scored the first goal just 10 minutes into the game.

“[Our] combination plays and finishing up our crosses are getting stronger everyday,” McGill said.

St. Thomas defenders shut down many of Augsburg’s plays as sophomores Emily Burgmeier and Tess Hanson maintained a strong defensive line. But in the 15th minute, the defense broke down and allowed a cross in front of the Tommie net, which was put away to tie the game 1-1.

“When they scored I felt like we went a little frazzled,” Sprangers said. “We would then push too much and lose control of the ball.”

St. Thomas had several shots at Augsburg’s net in the second half, but they were all denied by the Augsburg goal keeper. St. Thomas kept the pressure up, and with with less than two minutes left in the game, junior Lexie Fisher crossed the ball in front of the net and Horak headed it in, putting the Tommies ahead for good 2-1.

Horak said being more physical than in previous games was key to Saturday’s win.

“We did a great job creating things and making it happen,” McGill said.

McGill was quick to point out that individuals stepped up during the second half and took leadership roles.

“When we get anxious we don’t play well,” she said. “We need to calm down and play our game. It’s high intensity, and we play well off of each other’s intensity.”

St. Thomas (5-2 overall, 2-0 MIAC) plays again at Hamline Wednesday at 4 p.m.

Rebekah Frank can be reached at rfrank@stthomas.edu