NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Behind a pair of first-half goals, the No. 19-ranked Carleton College women's soccer team defeated College of Saint Benedict 2-1 and is headed back to the championship game of the MIAC Playoffs for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Isabelle Connolly gave the Knights (13-1-2) the lead in the 14th minute, and
Hadley Twichell added an insurance goal in the 34th minute. That latter tally loomed large after Saint Benedict (12-2-4) scored shortly before halftime.
The Carleton defense made the lead hold up and the top-seeded Knights will face a familiar foe — St. Catherine University — in the MIAC Playoffs Final on Saturday. Those two programs locked horns in the conference championship game in 2022, 2023, and 2025.
Carleton finished the game with a 19-11 advantage in shots, including eight attempts on target. The Knights took all six corner kicks in the contest.
The 13th minute saw
Lauren Caldwell nearly open the scoring, but her shot from just outside the 18-yard box was tipped off the crossbar by Bennies' goalkeeper Rhianna Anya. Following the ensuing corner kick,
Lily Shure's strike was blocked by a defender, but the ball caromed directly to Connolly for a volley inside the right post. It was the senior's fourth goal of the season.
Twichell later collected a clearance attempt by the Bennie's defense, worked free of a defender, and deposited a 15-yard strike into the top left corner for her seventh goal of the season. Over the Knights' last seven games, Twichell, an outside defender, has accounted for five goals and three assists. She now has 22 career goals, tied for ninth-most in program history (see chart below).
The Knights kept attacking throughout the remainder of the period, totaling 14 first-half shot attempts, but Anya kept her team in the game with big saves in the 17th, 33rd, and 35th minutes. The visitors broke through in the 44th minute as Gabby Fernholz finished off a cross by Ella Verkinderen.
The second half saw Saint Benedict change its formation to put more pressure on the Knights. While Carleton only took five shots after intermission, the defense remained stout.
Avery Trapp kept the hosts in front with a big save in the 78th minute, one of her four second-half stops.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton hosts St. Catherine University on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1:00 p.m. The winner of that game will secure the MIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.
Most Career Goals in Carleton Women's Soccer
1. 40 – Birungi Mutebi – 1998-01
2. 38 – Jennie Rehm – 1982-85
3. 33 –
Kathryn Kresse – 2022-25
4. 30 – Niki Tomita – 2008-11
5. 26 – Nora Mertz – 2016-19
6. 25 – Rose Koch – 1996-99
7. 23 – M. Russell-Dempsey – 1998-01
7. 23 – Cate Patterson – 2019-2023
9. 22 – Ellie Wilson – 2011-14
9. 22 – Hadley Twichell – 2022-26
