ST. PAUL, Minn. – An early goal from Kaitlin Machovec was enough for host St. Catherine University as the Wildcats edged the St. Olaf College women's soccer team, 1-0, in a matchup of teams jostling for position in the upcoming Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs on Wednesday evening at St. Kate's Field.

Mahovec struck for her fifth goal of the season in the 11th minute for St. Catherine (9-3-2, 6-2-2 MIAC) and the Wildcats' defense made the goal stand up, limiting St. Olaf (10-4-2, 6-3-1 MIAC) to three shots in the game. The Wildcats have defeated the Oles by one goal in four of the last five seasons.

All four of St. Olaf's losses this season have come by a single goal. The Oles were ranked No. 8 in this week's United Soccer Coaches North Region Rankings.

The victory moved St. Catherine up to fourth in the MIAC standings with 20 points, while St. Olaf fell into a tie with Saint Benedict for fifth with 19 points with one game remaining. The Oles hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Bennies by virtue of a 1-0 victory in St. Joseph back on Sept. 22.

The Wildcats outshot the Oles by a 21-3 margin in the game, including a 7-1 advantage in shots on goal. Sophomore Brynne Davis made five saves in the loss, while Tayler Koop had just one save to make in the win for St. Catherine.

Machovec's goal came 10:17 into the contest and was set up by Alyssa Siljendahl and was the lone shot on goal for the hosts in the first half, while Greta Anderson's 28th-minute effort was the Oles' only shot on frame in the game.

St. Olaf closes out the regular season on Saturday, Oct. 27 by hosting Augsburg University at 1 p.m. at Rolf Mellby Field on the team's Senior Day. The Auggies have already locked up a MIAC Playoff spot, as the six-team field has been determined, although seeding remains up for grabs.