NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College women's soccer team surrendered only two shots during Saturday's Senior Day showdown with Macalester College. Unfortunately both of those attempts found the back of the net as the Knights suffered a 2-0 setback at Bell Field.
The Knights (7-4-2, 4-4-0 MIAC) finished the day with 16 shots overall and nine shots on goal, but with stout defending and excellent goalkeeping, Macalester (9-3-2, 4-3-1 MIAC) was able to hold Carleton scoreless.
The Knights came out of the gates strong, getting some offensive chances and preventing the Scots from generating much of their own. However, in the 19th minute, the ball was deflected to Ella Thomsen at the top of the box, who fired a one-time shot just under the crossbar for a Macalester lead that the Scots would not relinquish. The visitors would get an insurance goal in the 43rd minute on a corner kick, which first hit the foot of Zoe Kross, then deflected off a Carleton defender before trickling into the goal.
Down two goals at halftime, Carleton switched up their formation from the typical 4-3-3 to a more offensive 3-5-2. The new formation seemed to work, as the Knights were able to put eight shots on net in the second half without giving up any to the Scots.
Rainey Tilley (Jr./South Pasadena, Calif./South Pasadena) and
Cate Patterson (Jr./Racine, Wis./Prairie School) led the way on offense, with six and five shots respectively. However, Macalester goalkeeper Dana Gustafson registered nine saves en route to her eighth shutout of the season, and she got some help from the woodwork when
Annette Shumway (Sr./Arlington, Va./Yorktown) hit the crossbar in the 88
th minute
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton gets a week off before heading into the final three games of the regular season. The next game takes the Knights to Duluth, Minn., where they will face the College of St. Scholastica on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 3:30 p.m.
