Dan Noth/Winonan

The Winona State University Women’s Soccer team picked up their sixth straight NSIC Conference win over the weekend.

With a 2-1 overtime victory over Minnesota-Crookston on Saturday, and 2-0 win against Bemidji State on Sunday, the team is looking sharp.

The Warriors have shown the poise of a veteran team, overcoming tough competition all season, and Saturday was no different.

Winona State fell behind early in the second half, but Coach Ali Omar was able to keep his team focused and under control.

CoCo Sames took a pass from Alaina Kne and sent it off the left bar of the goal and into the net to pull the Warriors back to a 1-1 tie in the 59th minute.

Neither team was able to add another goal in the remaining time and for the first time this season, the Warriors headed to overtime.

The extra period didn’t last long, however.  Less then seven minutes in, Freshman Mehan Bolton scored her fourth goal of the season.

Bolton and fellow freshman Caitlin Lilly are leading the Warriors in goals, followed by Kne, who has scored twice for the Warriors this season.

The Warriors took 13 shots and put six on goal while the defense was stellar once again and held the Crookston offense to just five shots and Sophomore goal keeper Alexandra Vial made two saves.

WSU’s depth off the bench played a big part in the win as neither Sames nor Bolton was in the starting lineup.

This depth has helped Coach Omar with the length of the season, and plays a crucial part in the Warriors ability to keep fresh legs on the field.

Sunday’s matchup was played more how the Warriors had hoped, as Winona State was able to score both goals within nine minutes of play.

Kati Baker and Caitlin Lilly connected with just under three minutes in the first half to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.

The goal is Lilly’s fourth on the season, while Baker recorded her first assist of the year.

The Warriors added another insurance run six minutes after halftime when Hadley Bales found the back of the net from 25 yards out on a shot that sailed just over the goalkeeper’s head.

Baker got her second assist of the game and season on the play.

Winona State played a balanced attack against Bemidji as eight different players put shots on goal and the offense took 26 shots as a team.

The defense played its part in the shutout, limiting the Bemidji offense to seven shots, allowing Alexandra Vial to make two saves and pick up her seventh shutout on the season.

The Warriors, who are in the middle of a five game road trip, will return to action next weekend, playing Augustana on Saturday before traveling to Wayne State to take on the Wildcats.

The Warriors improved to 13-3 overall and 10-1 in the NSIC conference.

Contact Dan at [email protected].