The Winona State University women’s soccer team moved their record 6-4-3 overall (4-3-3 in NSIC) with another split away from home with a loss at Bemidji State University on Friday and a win at University of Minnesota Crookston on Sunday.  

The Warriors had previously scored three times at their two most recent games before heading into their matchup against Bemidji on Friday, but the Beavers managed to keep the Warriors goalless throughout resulting in an unfortunate 1-0 setback for Winona State. 

After quite an uneventful first half with Winona State holding Bemidji at only three shots, it was just fifteen minutes after the start of the second half that Bemidji’s own Sarah Wendt obtained the only score of the entire match.   

Wendt was one of three players to start in all 17 matches for the Beavers in 2021 and led the team with 33 points on a career-best 16 goals and one assist.  

Playing in rather unfavorable weather conditions at Chet Anderson Stadium, the Beavers ended the game with hefty advantages over Winona State in shots (9-3), shots on goal (5-3), and corner kicks (6-1).  

Despite the unfortunate loss, Winona State played hard. Substitutes Madisson Watts and Sarah Strating accounted for the only three shots of the game while Bailey Deininger and Reanne Weil stayed strong for the full 90 minutes. 

“I take the weekend one game at a time,” Deininger, a fourth-year from Hartland, Wis., said about her experience preparing for paired matches. “We must play the first one before we can even start thinking about the second.” 

The Warriors certainly kept this mindset coming into their match on Sunday at the University of Minnesota Crookston. The team was looking to jumpstart the familiar tough offense that had been previously held at zero just 48 hours earlier.

The game started at just six minutes when Jaida Wiege tallied the opening goal of the match unassisted. It was only 20 minutes later that Madelynn Drasher scored again with an assist from Strating.  

Both teams headed into the locker-room with the Warriors preserving the advantage at 2-0.  

After the break, Winona State’s offensive pressure never ceased, and they were promptly rewarded when Riley Harmon scored the third goal in the 58th minute with assists from Drasher and Ellie Wardell.  

“Personally, my goal for myself this season is to end my soccer career on a high note,” Harmon, a fourth-year from Mundelein, Ill., said. “I want to leave a mark not only on the field but off the field as well.”  

Harmon is certainly off to a good start, maintaining the team lead with five goals already this year.  

Winona State seemed to have found the perfect formula, finishing off the game with a well-deserved win and an astonishing 36 shots while forcing the Golden Eagle’s goalkeeper into 13 saves compared to the Warriors’ one. 

Winona State University will return home to host Minnesota State – Moorhead on Friday, Oct. 14, and Northern State University on Sunday, Oct. 16. at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium with high hopes for two more NSIC wins.