St. Thomas goalkeeper Sarah Pasternak recorded eight saves in the Tommies’ second round game of the NCAA tournament, helping them defeat Illinois Wesleyan University 1-0 Sunday afternoon at South Field.
Midfielder Ellie Eskeirka scored the lone goal of the game in the 38th minute; St. Thomas’ second 1-0 victory in a two day span.
The Tommies (16-2-3) and the Titans(15-5) met earlier once this season, with the Titans coming out on top 2-1.
“I think it comes down to, we do everything as a team. We don’t have any one individual who is our dominant player,” coach Sheila McGill said. “Having our back line be really solidified together. I think that’s what we did today, we helped each other in those moments.”
The Titans dominated possession in the first half, keeping the ball on the Tommies defensive side nearly the entire time, “They won the midfield battle in the first half,” forward Tessa Trettel said.
Pasternak made five saves for the Tommies in the first half, including a triple-save that saw her go down with a nose injury.
“See the ball, get the ball. I think my team fed off of that energy,” Pasternak said.
The Tommies’ most dangerous moments throughout the first half came off of counter attacks, which resulted in the one score..
St. Thomas’ forward Kate Heimer was unleashed down the left side of the pitch, where she cut back and crossed the ball into the box; after a scuffle for the ball, it found the feet of Eskierka.
“I was pretty nervous, but I just tried to stay composed and put the ball in the back of the net,” Eskierka said.
The Titans couldn’t obtain control in the second half – St. Thomas’ high press held them on their heels.
“They really came out in the second half in particular. I think during the first half, we were trying to play the way we always play, but sometimes that’s too predictable,” McGill said.
The Tommies learned a lot in the two teams’ first fixture this season according to Trettel.
“We didn’t get the result we wanted earlier this season, and we knew it wouldn’t be easy, but we came out today. We showed up and gave it our all,” Trettel said. “It was a tough fight, from the very first whistle to the last second of the game.
The Tommies advance to the SweetSixteen of the 2019 Dlll NCAA tournament and will play Wheaton College next weekend. Location and time are TBD.
Jacob Schneider can be reached at schn6923@stthomas.edu.