MENOMONIE, Wis. – The Yellowjacket women's soccer team and UW-Stout were supposed to meet early in the season, but in a rarity for this area, had the game postponed due to intense heat. The schools picked a date, and the former Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) foes finally got together Tuesday.
It looked like the Yellowjackets were on their way to a victory, but they were foiled by the Blue Devils in the second half.
UW-Stout scored twice in the second half, including in the 85th minute, to take down the Yellowjackets 3-2 Tuesday afternoon at Nelson Field.
The match was the final non-conference match of the season for the Yellowjackets (12-5-1, 11-1-0 UMAC), who will finish the regular season with a pair of conference matches this week.
Early on things looked good for the Yellowjackets, as the "Mya and Niya Show" took center stage.
Niya Wilson (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior), who leads the Yellowjackets in goals this season, got the scoring started for the Yellowjackets, netting her 20th of the year in the fifth minute to make it 1-0. Wilson notched the marker with an assist from
Halle Carlson (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown). For Wilson, the goal was the 62nd of her Yellowjacket career, which is the program record. The goal also tied her career high, as she previously scored 20 goals in 2021.
It went to 2-0 just a few minutes later. This time it was
Mya Holmquist (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) doing the damage, as she scored her 15th of the year in the 13th minute. Wilson got the assist on the play as the Yellowjackets extended their lead.
With the goal and assist, Wilson leads the Yellowjackets with 48 points on the year. Holmquist is second on the team, with her goal giving her 39 points on the campaign.
UW-Stout broke into the scoring column moments later. Hailey Kane found the back of the net in the 15th minute, cutting the Yellowjacket lead in half, 2-1. Kane then struck again in the 27th minute, and as quickly as the lead was built, it evaporated, and the match was tied.
Things stayed 2-2 until the waning minutes of the match. In the 85th minute Stout's Ava Thomas picked an ideal time to score her first goal of the campaign, putting the Blue Devils in front 3-2 with just over five minutes to play.
From there Stout went into defensive mode, and didn't allow the Yellowjackets any offensive opportunities to tie the match.
Quinn Clark (Duluth Minn./Duluth East) started in goal for the Yellowjackets, playing the first half and finishing with three saves on five shots.
Jenna Lang (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) came on and played the second half, stopping three of four shots on goal.
It was a tight match across the board. UW-Stout had 15 shots attempted compared to 14 for the Yellowjackets. The Blue Devils had nine shots on goal for the match, while the Yellowjackets had seven.
The Yellowjackets are back in action Wednesday when they host Northland College in their final home match of the 2023 regular season. The opening kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex.
Wednesday's match has big post-season implications for the Yellowjackets. With a tie, the Yellowjackets will clinch at least a tie for the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference regular season title. The Yellowjackets can clinch the championship outright with a win over the LumberJills.
