WINONA, Minn. – What a game. The Saint Mary's women's team (0-2-0) hosted No. 1-ranked UW-River Falls (2-0-0) to conclude their weekend series and fell in a high-scoring thriller, 7-4.
The Cardinals got stunned early by the Falcons, allowing three goals in three minutes to open the frame. It ultimately was what killed them in the long run. Trailing early, 3-0, the Cardinals never gave up and fought back.
Celia Midtbo got the scoring started with a power-play goal, assisted by Mollie Koch, at the 16:02 mark in the first period. They drew within one with the Falcons when Maggie Albers, assisted by Kenzie Meland, sparked a momentum change, trailing 2-1, and scored early in the second period.
The Falcons responded with two of their own to take back the three-goal lead.
The Cardinals never went away. Midtbo netted her second of the night on another power play at 16:40.
Heading into the final frame, the Cardinals rode their momentum, and Sophia Paduano got on the board with a shake and bake in front of the Falcon goalie. Within one, once again, 5-4, the Falcons shut down any comeback, scoring twice more.
Audrey Abeln made 22 saves on the night.
Looking Ahead
The Cardinals' first weekend jitters are out of the way and now look forward to a weekend series hosting Marian (Wis.) on Friday, Nov. 6 for a 6:00 p.m. game.
