NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Sophomore
Anna Gilmer scored a late equalizer for the St. Olaf College women's soccer team in a 1-1 tie with Wartburg College in the season opener for both teams on Tuesday afternoon at Rolf Mellby Field.
After Wartburg (0-0-1) opened the scoring in the 65th minute, Gilmer got St. Olaf (0-0-1) a tie late with the second goal of her collegiate career in the 83rd minute. The Oles outshot the Knights by a 14-6 margin in the game, although their edge in shots on goal was just 5-4.
Wartburg's Tulla Jensen made three standout saves in the opening half to keep the game scoreless. Twenty minutes into the second half, Zaley Streeper gave the Knights the lead after steering in a shot from the right side of the box off a feed from Claire Lienhard.
Wartburg maintained the 1-0 lead until Gilmer got onto the end of a right-wing cross from junior
Rachel Anderson to guide the ball in at the back post in the 83rd minute. Senior
Emily Johnson's shot less than one minute later that went over the net was the lone shot for either team after Gilmer's goal.
In the first half, Jensen made diving saves to deny left-footed strikes from senior
Wren VanDeWalker from the top of the box in the second and 22nd minutes. In the 41st minute, Jensen again kept the Oles out, as she came off her line to thwart a close-range shot from senior
Lillian Rediger after Rediger beat a Wartburg defender while cutting in from the right.
Those saves were three of Jensen's four in the game, while sophomore
Charlotte Percy had three saves for the Oles.
St. Olaf will be back at Rolf Mellby Field for a 4 p.m. kickoff against UW-Superior on Friday, Sept. 4.
