ST. PAUL, Minn. — For more than 77 minutes, the Saint Mary's University women's soccer team gave nationally ranked Macalester all it could handle in the team's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game Tuesday evening.
In fact, with less than 12 minutes remaining in regulation, the Cardinals were clinging to a 1-0 lead — and had their biggest win of the season within their grasp.
Only to have it snatched away.
The Scots scored the equalizer in the game's 78th minute, then got the game-winner nine minutes into overtime, as Macalester handed SMU a heartbreaking 2-1 setback.
“This one hurts — a lot,” said SMU coach Eric Zimmerman. “This was probably the best game we've played all year, and we don't have anything to show for it. We played so well — both offensively and defensively.
“We got an unlucky break (late in regulation) and they got a great shot (to win it in overtime),” Zimmerman added. “Other than that, we played right with them.”
Amy Sibik (Onalaska, Wis.) got the Cardinals on the board in the game's eighth minute, taking a feed from Keirra Metcalfe (Pickering, Ontario), breaking in alone on Macalester goalkeeper Tressa Versteeg and scoring her team-leading 10th goal of the season.
The Cardinals would maintain that 1-0 lead until the 78:24 mark, when Martha Coe converted a penalty kick. The Scots would then net the game-winner on a laser of a shot off the foot of Emily Bardwell that eluded the outstretched arms of SMU goalkeeper Mariana Sanchez (Puebla, Mexico).
“It's so frustrating to play as well as we did and lose a heartbreaker like that,” said Zimmerman, whose team returns to action Saturday, playing host to St. Catherine in a 1 p.m. conference game at Ochrymowycz Field. “This won definitely hurts.”
