Laura Leber scored her sixth game-winning goal of the season Sunday, leading the Minnesota State University women’s soccer team to a 1-0 win over Winona State and to the championship of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament.
The contest pitted NCAA Division II’s third-ranked Winona against 18th-ranked MSU. The teams had met on the same field about two weeks earlier with Winona delivering a 1-0 win over the Mavericks.
MSU avenged that loss Saturday as goalie Sheila Reynolds stopped all eight shots on goal to record her 11th shutout of 2008 — a single-season record for the Mavericks.
Leber, a sophomore forward, scored the lone goal of the match and went on to win the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award.
“The girls played like champions today,” MSU coach Peter McGahey said. “They played their hearts out.
“It was a tremendous effort by the team. It showed the true character and spirit of our team.”
The game’s turning point came in the second half. At the 61:55 mark, Reynolds came out and made a sliding save on Warrior forward Amelia Kasten who had gotten past the MSU defense. The stop shifted the momentum to the Mavericks and they took advantage soon after with Leber’s score.
Leber tallied her ninth goal of the season less than two minutes later on a shot from the right of the goal that beat WSU goalkeeper Anna Belpedio on the ground to her left. The 15-foot goal was setup by senior Marti Klinsing.
Reynolds, a junior, improved to 15-2-2. She is in second-place on the season wins list at MSU — one win shy of tying the record of 16 set by Nicole Johannson last season.
The Mavericks had 10 shots on goal, to WSU’s eight. The Warriors had seven cornerkicks in the match while the Mavericks had zero.
Joining Leber on the NSIC’s All-Tournament team were MSU’s Reynolds; defenders Elise Bjerkenas and Emily Petrovich; and midfielders Tayler Vestal and Gina Paletta.
The Mavericks (15-3-2) find out at 4 p.m. today when and where they will play their first game in the NCAA Division II tournament.
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MSU soccer team heading to nationals
Mavericks win NSIC tournament
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