ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Senior
Wren VanDeWalker scored twice in the second half to propel the regionally-ranked St. Olaf College women's soccer team to a 2-1 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) win over Bethel University on Saturday afternoon at Royal Stadium.
Bethel (5-7-2, 4-4-2 MIAC) led 1-0 at halftime after scoring in the fifth minute before VanDeWalker struck in the 53rd and 83rd minutes to lead St. Olaf (11-2-4, 7-2-1 MIAC) to the come-from-behind win. The Oles, who were ranked No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches Region IX Poll this week, were playing with out senior
Emily Johnson, the leading scorer in NCAA Division III this season, due to injury.
The win, coupled with a 0-0 tie between Carleton College and the College of Saint Benedict, lifted St. Olaf above the Bennies and into third place in the MIAC standings with one round of games remaining. The Oles will be either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the MIAC Playoffs, depending on the results of the final round of games.
Bethel jumped out to an early lead when Hannah Kvant fired the ball into the top-right corner after getting on the end of a punt by goalkeeper Autumn Maki that bounced past an Ole defender. The Royals outshot the Oles by a 7-6 margin in the opening half to carry the 1-0 lead into the break.
St. Olaf turned the tables in the second by, outshooting Bethel by an 11-1 count while getting two goals from VanDeWalker in the first multi-goal game of the senior's career. VanDeWalker tied the game in the 53rd minute by running onto a ball in the right channel from junior
Claire Faulkner, making room for a shot, and chipping the ball over the goalkeeper from 25 yards out.
With the game still locked at 1-1, VanDeWalker netted the game-winner in the 83rd minute by clipping the ball over the goalkeeper after collecting a throw-in from sophomore
Emma Boyle. VanDeWalker's two-goal performance came after she scored one goal in the first 16 games but was tied for third in the country with 12 assists.
Sophomore
Charlotte Percy finished with two saves in her ninth victory of the season, which is tied for the fifth-highest total in program history. Two goalkeepers combined for four saves for Bethel. The Oles finished the game with 74 percent possession and a 17-8 advantage in shots.
St. Olaf will visit UW-Eau Claire for a 7:30 p.m. non-conference game on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
