MARSHALL — Rachel Hicks and the Southwest Minnesota State University soccer team recorded their first shutout of the season Friday night as the Mustangs settled a scoreless tie with Umaley. As a result, the Mustangs started with an 0-5 record and earned their first points in this year’s standings.
“My defense played a great game. The shutout is not just about the goalie, it’s about the whole team.” Hicks said. “We’re just doing the best we can. If it comes back to me, my job is to keep it from getting into the net, so I’ll do my best to accomplish that.” Just do your best.”
Hicks made 10 saves on goal, with another SMSU defender sliding in to block UMary’s only shot on goal, keeping the Marauders scoreless. Seven of the team’s 11 saves came in the second half.
Hicks’ 10 saves were his second most of the season, after making 13 in a 3-0 loss to West Florida on Sept. 6.
“That’s what we expect from her. We watch her every day in practice, so it wouldn’t surprise me if she performed like that.” SMSU head coach Clay Glasgow said. “We’re surprised when she doesn’t perform like that. But overall, a great performance from her leading from the back. Yes, you see the preservation, but most importantly the communication. She’s the backbone of the team. Just keeping us organized and having conversations.”
Heading into the game, Umaly had won four straight on the season with 4 wins, 1 loss, and 0 draws. The Marauders scored three or more goals in three of their four wins. SMSU, on the other hand, has lost four straight games, with opponents scoring at least three goals in four of those five games. Still, the Mustangs defense put it all together on Friday and bucked the trend for both teams.
“We always talk about keeping the ball, retaining possession, especially with the players higher up the field, but today our mids (fielders) really worked hard in terms of finding the forwards. He did a good job.” Mr. Glasgow said. “The forwards did a really good job of creating runs in behind with through passes, so they not only held the ball but also provided us with opportunities in terms of that last third.”
SMSU was able to control the ball better than in previous games, but still struggled. On the positive side, they spent 48% of their possession time in the offensive half of the field. On the downside, they were limited to 42% possession and had three shots, two of which were on target.
Meanwhile, UMary spent 36% of its possession time on the field in the offensive line. They took 18 shots, 11 of which were on target, and earned 19 corner kicks to SMSU’s one. Still, the Mustangs’ defense held off the Marauders.
“Defensively, they did a great job because we were able to track back with the other team’s outside backs and center backs, so on both sides of the ball they (SMSU) really, really He did a good job.” Mr. Glasgow said.
SMSU’s two shots on goal came from Der Kloten and Jada Backes. The latter shot came in the 89th minute when he dribbled the ball rapidly into the right hash mark. She took a shot on goal, which Molly Fisher was able to knock down. Brooke Wetterstrom tried to retrieve the rebound for a chance, but Fischer recovered the ball and cleared it to midfield, effectively tying the game.
Fisher finished UMary scoreless with two saves. Offensively, Rachel Gensch had three shots on goal to lead the Marauders, while Olivia Gardner and Maria Burke each had another shot.
SMSU is now 0-5-1, moving it into 12th place in the Northern Sun University Conference standings, tied with Minot State and ahead of Winona State, Minnesota State University-Moorhead and Sioux Falls.
“I’d rather a draw than a loss, but I’m aiming for a win.” Hicks said. “I think there’s a lot to take from today. I think our defense played a good game, but we had a lot of opportunities offensively. That’s what we need to do moving forward behind the net. I think we need to keep building on that and hopefully we can score some goals in the next game.”
The Mustangs have a chance to break that tie Sunday when they host Minot State at 1 p.m. Last season, SMSU beat the Beavers 2-0 at North Dakota State, but SMSU is 3-10 overall. If they can get a win, which will be their first time scoring points, they can beat Minot State back-to-back.
From the end of Friday’s game to the start of Sunday’s game, Glasgow said his message to his team was to focus on taking care of their bodies, including nutrition, rest and recovery. He added that he was proud of the team’s extra effort on Friday and said that energy will be key for the team to create more chances.
ST. JAMES — Thursday night, the Marshall men’s soccer team’s offense was firing on all cylinders and rattling…
REDWOOD FALLS — The Marshall boys cross country team earned six of the top 10 spots in Redwood Valley.
6th place Camby 3, 7th place McRae 2 Clara City — After losing to the #7 ranked McRae Wolverines in the class…