SAINT PAUL, Minn. – By and large, the Yellowjacket women's soccer team has had the run of things over the past several years in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC). Losses in conference play have been rare.
Just how rare you might ask? Heading into play Wednesday, the Yellowjackets were riding a 37-game unbeaten streak in UMAC regular season play, dating back to the April 27, 2021, when the season was played in the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That loss was to St. Scholastica, a program that is no longer a UMAC member.
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, and that's what happened to the Yellowjacket unbeaten streak Wednesday.
On the road at Northwestern, the Eagles scored three goals in just over 11 minutes in the first half to defeat the Yellowjackets 3-1 at Reynolds Field.
With the loss, the Yellowjackets (8-4-1, 8-1-0 UMAC) have now fallen into a tie for first place with Bethany Lutheran, however the Yellowjackets own the tiebreaker by way of their win over the Vikings last month.
From the get-go, Wednesday was not the Yellowajckets' day. The 'Jackets were never really able to get on track, and the Eagles took advantage with strong defense and timely scoring.
The Eagles got on the board in the 14th minute when Haley Mersberger scored her 17th goal of the season to make it 1-0.
It stayed that way for a few minutes before Northwestern gave itself some breathing room. This time it was Megan Kohrt, tallying her third goal of the season in the 21st minute to extend the lead to 2-0. A few minutes later things went from bad to worse for the Yellowjackets, as Northwestern's Megan Moeller scored her ninth of the year, making it 3-0 Eagles in the 24th minute.
The Yellowjackets were finally able to break the shutout in the 65th minute when
Niya Wilson (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) scored her 14th goal of the season to cut the Northwestern lead to 3-1.
Kamryn Hill (Duluth, Minn./Denfeld) got the assist. Wilson currently leads the Yellowjackets in goals and points (33).
From there the Yellowjackets weren't able to muster the offense needed to get back into the match, and Northwestern got the win.
Quinn Clark (Duluth Minn./Duluth East) got the start in goal for the Yellowjackets, finishing with four saves on seven shots in 57 minutes. She then gave way to
Jenna Lang (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) who stopped both shots she faced in 33 minutes of play.
For the game, the Yellowjackets attempted 22 shots to 14 for Northwestern, and held an 11-9 edge in shots on goal.
The Yellowjackets return to action Saturday, Oct. 14 when they take on Bethany Lutheran in a battle for sole possession of first place in the conference. The opening kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Scheels Field in Mankato, Minn.
