The St. Thomas women’s soccer team weathered a tough 2-0 win over St. Kate’s to advance to the MIAC tournament championship on Wednesday afternoon.
The top-seeded Tommies were able to defend their own turf thanks to goals from midfielder Elizabeth Luotto and forward Sara Osborne in the first and second halves, respectively.
The Tommies’ stout defense limited scoring opportunities for the Wildcats throughout the match, and helped the team nullify St. Kate’s playing style.
“I think more than anything, (St. Kate’s) is a very direct team. Every time they touch it, it’s going into our end,” said head coach Sheila McGill. “We were the team that was attacking under possession and with composure, and I think that was the huge difference in the game.”
St. Thomas seized the lead in the fifth minute of the match. Luotto headed home defender Hailey Zweber’s corner kick to give the Tommies a 1-0 advantage.
The score stayed that way for most of the match. Both teams traded scoring chances, including a near-goal by St. Kate’s forward Allie Bird around the 80-minute mark, which was stopped by a diving effort from St. Thomas goalkeeper Tarynn Theilig.
Osborne clinched the win with the final goal of the match in the 82nd minute. Cutting inside from the left sideline, she slotted the ball home for the decisive blow.
The ever-present defense’s efforts were rewarded with its 15th shutout of the season.
McGill said she hopes the team continues to play a possession-oriented style of soccer.
“I just want us to continue to communicate and possess the ball. Whenever we keep the ball on the ground, we’re a better team,” she said.
With the win, St. Thomas (17-1-1) will host Augsburg (16-4) in the conference tournament championship game on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The Tommies will play for a conference title sweep, as they won the regular season title by seven points.
“We have our fate in our own hands,” McGill said. “We beat Augsburg here before, and they were one of the only teams this season that did score on us, so we know we need to clean up some things.”
The game will follow the men’s soccer conference championship game. Like the women, the men are playing for a conference title sweep when they face the winner of St. John’s versus Macalester at 11 a.m. at home.
Spencer Flaten can be reached at flat6148@stthomas.edu