The St. Thomas women’s soccer team (17-2 overall, 11-1 MIAC) earned the 2018 MIAC Championship title Saturday at South Field with a 3-1 victory over Augsburg (14-8 overall, 8-4 MIAC).
The win secured the women’s first outright conference title in 10 years.
“It feels fantastic,” coach Sheila McGill said. “Absolutely fantastic.”
Augsburg was the first to strike in the first half, with MIAC goal leader, Ashley St. Aubin, scoring in the 22nd minute of play.
The turning point for the Tommies came when they changed formations at the start of the second half.
“We know we can attack well and we know we can attack dangerously, so we did,” McGill said. “I think that was the confidence they knew that they had in them. They knew they could do that.”
Forward Kristen Epperly converted a right-side pass to the box from defender McKenna Peplinski into the first goal for the Tommies in the 64th minute of the game.
With the game tied, the teams continued to battle on both ends of the field until midfielder Ellie Eskierka scored in the 81st minute, giving the Tommies a 2-1 lead.
“I felt like my goal was extremely vital and I felt a lot of pressure on me,” Eskierka said, “but I knew I could do it.”
Shortly after her goal, Eskierka played a long ball up field to senior scoring threat Mallory DeBoom, who sealed the game, scoring on a one-on-one attack with an Auggie defender.
Tommie goalie Olivia Elvidge contributed to the second-half rally, recording four of her five saves in the second half.
Going against the conference’s leading scorer didn’t affect how Elvidge played.
“She’s just another player,” Elvidge said. “One person doesn’t make a team, and I trusted my defense more than I was scared of her.”
With the win, the women have secured an automatic bid in the Division III national tournament. The bracket comes out Monday afternoon, and the Tommies are favored to start the tournament at home.
“We’ve done a great job playing at home all season long,” McGill said. “Being able to have our fans here and everything and not have to worry about everybody stepping away from it makes life a lot easier.”
When it comes to improvement this late in the season, McGill thinks the team needs to continue to do what they’ve been doing, along with staying confident and staying consistent.
“We are going to play our game. We are going to focus on our own style, our own play and do what we do well,” McGill said. “That’s the main piece for us.”
Carly Noble can be reached at nobl1781@stthomas.edu