NORTHFIELD, Minn. – First year
Rachel Tanner scored the game-winning goal with less than two minutes remaining to give the St. Olaf College women's soccer a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Gustavus Adolphus College on Sunday afternoon at Rolf Mellby Field.
Tanner netted the second goal of her collegiate career for St. Olaf (7-3-1, 4-1-0 MIAC) with 1:56 remaining after being played in by sophomore
Hayley Hoffmann to give the Oles their third one-goal win in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play this season. Katie Ashpole had given Gustavus (2-8-0, 1-4-0 MIAC) the lead in the 51st minute before first year
Tessa Anderson started the second-half comeback with a goal in the 63rd minute.
After a scoreless first half, Ashpole broke the deadlock by firing the ball inside the far post from the right side of the box after collecting a pass from Taylor Hemme. The goal was the lone goal conceded by first year
Grace Sprangers, who made six saves to pick up the victory in her first-career start for the Oles.
St. Olaf responded 12:30 later when senior
Claire Bash threaded a ball from her own half in behind the Gustie backline that Anderson ran onto. Anderson held off a defender and slotted a left-footed shot past an on-rushing Ashley Becker for her team-leading fourth goal of the season.
With the game appearing to be headed to overtime, Tanner won it with 1:56 to go by tucking a right-footed shot into the lower-right corner of the net from just outside the penalty spot. The goal came off a reverse pass behind the Gustavus backline from Hoffmann, who leads the Oles with four assists this season.
Lauren Johnson came the closest to scoring in the opening half for Gustavus, heading the ball off the cross bar after a short corner midway through the half. Ten minutes later, St. Olaf had its best chance of the half when Tanner slipped in Anderson, but Becker got off her line quickly to make the save.
Prior to Ashpole's opener,
Lucia Ranallo nearly opened the scoring for the Oles with 20 minutes remaining, but her shot from the top of the box went just over. The Gusties hit the woodwork for the second time in the game with 5:30 to go on a shot from Abby Mullenbach from the left side of the box that hit the near post.
Becker had eight saves on the afternoon for Gustavus, which suffered its third-straight one-goal loss. Five of the Gusties' eight losses this season have come by a single goal.
St. Olaf hosts Augsburg on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 3:30 p.m.
