NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women's soccer team got goals from six different student-athletes to roll to a 7-0 victory over Saint Mary's University in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play on Saturday afternoon at rainy Rolf Mellby Field.
Senior
Emily Johnson moved into a three-way tie for the most career goals in program history with two more goals, while five others scored for St. Olaf (4-0-3, 2-0-0 MIAC), which remained undefeated on the season with the win over Saint Mary's (1-4-1, 0-2-0 MIAC). The seven-goal margin was the largest for the Oles in the all-time series with the Cardinals in a rematch of last year's MIAC Playoff quarterfinal.
St. Olaf's seven-goal output marked its most goals in a game since a 7-0 victory at Bethel University on Sept. 18, 2024. The shutout was also the Oles' second in as many MIAC games this season and their third in a row in the series.
Senior
Roxanne Rundle got the scoring started for St. Olaf in the 12th minute by sending a left-footed, one-timer into the top-right corner of the goal from outside the box after junior
Avery Sames and senior
Wren VanDeWalker combined to get the ball to Rundle. Later in the half, Johnson extended her goal-scoring streak to six games by slotting the ball home after being played in behind by sophomore
Ashley Payne.
Sophomore
Emma Boyle capped a three-goal first half for the Oles by driving the ball low through traffic from the top of the box in the 32nd minute after an attempted clearance on a corner kick. The goal was the first of Boyle's collegiate career.
Just 23 seconds into the second half, Johnson raced onto the end of header by VanDeWalker and scored her second goal of the game to make it 4-0. The goal moved Johnson level with Karen Schwartzbauer '87 and Lindsay Howard '12 atop St. Olaf's all-time goal-scoring chart with 39 goals (note: Schwartzbauer's total is from two of her four seasons). Johnson, who was tied for second in NCAA Division III in goals entering the game, has scored 10 goals over her six-game scoring streak.
First years
Emmarie Becker,
Faye Leitner, and
Piper Gravdal added goals in the final 26-plus minutes for the Oles. Becker scored on a deflected free kick in the 65th minute, Leitner curled the ball inside the far post from the top of the box in the 76th minute, and Gravdal sent a one-timer from outside the box over the goalkeeper in the 88th minute for her first collegiate goal.
St. Olaf took 24 of the game's 25 shots overall and all 15 of its shots on goal. Two goalkeepers combined for eight saves for Saint Mary's, while sophomore
Charlotte Percy did not have a save to make while improving to 2-0-2 on the season for the Oles.
St. Olaf will host UW-Stout in a 3:30 p.m. non-conference game on Monday, Sept. 21.
