NORTHFIELD, Minn. - An overtime goal was the difference in the MIAC Playoff Championship, as the No. 1 seed Carleton College women's soccer team fell to No. 3 seed St. Catherine University, 1-0.
 
While Wednesday's semifinals were played in mid-70s temperatures, the weather at Bell Field for the finals featured a game-time temp of 40 degrees and on and off mist. Carleton (12-2-3) came into the match with a sterling 8-0-3 record against MIAC foes and 7-0-1 record at home. The defending conference champions, St. Kate's (13-4-4) was no slouch and the teams previously battled to a scoreless draw on Oct. 25 in Saint Paul.
 
The first dangerous chance for either side came in the 13th minute, as Cate Patterson (Sr./Racine, Wis./Prairie School) made her signature play at the top of the box, dribbling around defenders before letting a shot loose off of her left foot, but the attempt was saved.
 
The Wildcats would counter with their first shot on net in the 17th minute, forcing Ezra Kucur (So./Seattle, Wash./University Prep) to make her first of five saves in the opening period. The shot total after 45 minutes was 8-5 in favor of the visitors.
 
During the halftime break, the mist grew thicker in Northfield, causing an already damp playing surface to become even slicker. The Knights looked to play it to their advantage, and they claimed the first five shots of the half, including another Patterson blast that was saved by Kate Praetz. In addition to that, a dangerous Kathryn Kresse (Fy./Woodside, Calif./Crystal Springs Uplands School) run was stopped at the last moment by St. Kate's centerback Mallory Johnson before a shot could be offered.
 
After that run by the Knights, the Wildcats went on the counter-attack in the 60th minute, as Lauren Witte made one of many runs along the endline in the left corner, and a cross found the boot of Amanda Elton, but the shot went just left.

In the 77th minute, a left-footed attempt by Carleton leading scorer Casey MacVeagh (Jr./Thetford, Vt./Thetford Academy) forced Praetz to make a diving play to direct the ball just beyond the left post.

The sides would accumulate a few more chances, but after 90 minutes, stout defending and goalkeeping kept the contest at a scoreless deadlock.
 
No shots were attempted in the first 10-minute overtime period, and it was the second which would see the game-winner. In the 106th minute, Caitlyn Bartlett collected a wayward cross and fired an off-target shot from the corner of the box. Heartbreakingly for Carleton, the ball was deflected by Ari Green into the net. The Knights' best chance at an equalizer came via a Tori Fredland (Fy./Indianapolis, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit) shot on net in the 107th minute, but Praetz made her sixth save of the afternoon sure-handedly.
 
Kucur made seven saves in just her second appearance of the season, while Patterson and MacVeagh combined for seven shots with five on net. Witte and Elton had five shots apiece for St. Kate's
 
St. Catherine clinched their second consecutive MIAC Playoff Championship, and will receive the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Up Next for the Knights
While St. Kate's knows its fate, Carleton will wait with fingers crossed for the next few days in hopes of ultimately receiving 1 of the 19-20 at-large bids to the NCAA Championships. The entire 64-team field for the national tournament will be revealed in the NCAA Selection Show, slated to go live on Monday, Nov. 7 at 1:00 p.m. CST.