Northwestern 4, Yellowjackets 0

ST. PAUL, Minn.: The days are now growing shorter, and with that comes the chill in the air letting us know fall will soon be yielding to winter. Along the way, the soccer season will fade from the regular season into the post-season, and that's just where the Yellowjacket women's soccer team wants to be.

Following a thrilling double overtime win over Martin Luther Saturday, the Yellowjackets were looking to win two in a row and give themselves more of a firm stance in the playoff picture. Northwestern, however, had other ideas.

The Eagles scored three times in the second half, including a pair of goals just 29 seconds apart to defeat the Yellowjackets 4-0 Tuesday at Reynolds Field in St. Paul, Minnesota. The loss was a costly one, as the Yellowjackets slipped out of the final playoff spot in the U.M.A.C. and will have some work to do in their three remaining conference matches.

Anna Welch scored the eventual game-winning goal for Northwestern in the 21st minute. It stayed that way until well into the second half when Danielle Roberts scored in the 66th minute to make it 2-0. Then with under four minutes to play Emily Michaelson gave Northwestern some insurance, scoring at 86:04 to make it 3-0. The Eagles put the nail in the proverbial coffin just 29 seconds later on Welch's second of the match to make the final score 4-0.

Madison Gutekunst (Mound, Minn./Mound Westonka) started in goal for the Yellowjackets and made 14 saves. Her record dropped to 3-5-0 for the season. Tatum Lardinois (Suamico, Wis./Bay Port) and Claire Smith (Hayward, Wis./Hayward) had shots on goal in the match for the Yellowjackets.

Up Next: The Yellowjackets (4-10-1, 4-5-0 U.M.A.C.) will take on Rockford University in a non-conference, neutral-site match Friday, October 19. Game time from Minneapolis, Minnesota is set for 1:00 p.m.