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SMSU SOCCER: Conference clash

Mustangs open conference play with 3-1 loss to Augustana University

Photo by Sam Thiel SMSU’s Jessica Jugovich controls the ball during their game against Augustana University on Friday. The Mustangs fell to the Vikings 3-1.

MARSHALL — After opening their season with a pair of non-conference victories, the Southwest Minnesota State University soccer team kicked off Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play with a tough task in front of them, as Augustana University came into Mattke Field looking to extend its five-game win streak against the Mustangs.

SMSU was able to go toe-to-toe with the Vikings in a tightly-contested first half, but a pair of early goals to start the second frame ended up being the difference as the Mustangs fell 3-1 on Friday evening.

“Augustana’s a great team and their program’s got a great history,” SMSU coach Erin Kasmarik-Mallett said. “Overall, I think the good things from us are yet to come and I thought it was a great step for us.”

Unlike their previous matches this season that didn’t get scoring until late in the second half, the Mustangs quickly found the back of the net when Alex Lotts’ shot attempt was broken up by the Vikings goalkeeper, only to find the foot of Alli Miskowiec, who buried the wide-open shot to give SMSU a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute.

Kasmarik-Mallett said their key in the opening minutes was utilizing their quickness early and being ready to capitalize if the opportunity presents itself.

“I meant it last time we talked about how we’re going to run at you all day. That means we’re going to create chances and by creating chances, we’re going to finish some of them,” Kasmarik-Mallett said. “We talk all the time about expecting there to be a rebound, expecting someone to make a mistake, always expecting something good to happen to us and something bad to happen to the other team and that’s exactly what that goal was.”

After several minutes of back-and-forth play, the two teams cranked up the pressure on defense as the physical play got higher. Augustana was able to take advantage a couple of minutes later, scoring with nine minutes left in the opening half to tie things up at 1-1.

Kasmarik-Mallett said they knew things weren’t going to come easy, especially in conference play, but added they’re ready to take on the challenges that are thrown their way.

“When you get into conference play, it’s really about earning the victory and that means mentally, emotionally, physically, all of that,” Kasmarik-Mallett said. “We knew that Augustana wasn’t going to give us anything and that if we wanted anything, it was going to have to be earned and we were fully prepared to handle that physical battle because that’s part of it.”

Going into the second half, both NSIC sides knew the opening minutes of the frame would be key. The Vikings wasted little time in capitalizing on that, scoring with 32:24 left before adding another goal less than two minutes later to extend their lead to 3-1.

Now facing a quick deficit, the Mustangs continued to apply the pressure on the ball and battle for every possession. Similar to its first-half counterpart, the physicality in the midway point of the second frame continued to be put on display, as the Mustangs searched for a spark on the offensive end.

SMSU got an opportunity to ignite that flame with 20 minutes to go, when Abbey Hoisington earned a penalty against the Vikings. Kelli Wentz stepped in for the PK attempt but a strong shot on net was denied by the Augustana goalkeeper to maintain the two-goal deficit for the Mustangs.

SMSU had a couple of chances later on to cut into the Vikings’ advantage, but weren’t able to capitalize, as Augustana pushed its streak to six against the Mustangs that dates back to the 2015 season.

SMSU (2-1) will look to bounce back on Sunday when it hosts Wayne State College at 1 p.m. at Mattke Field. Kasmarik-Mallett said their biggest takeaway will be continuing to learn from their mistakes and clean up a few things and not repeat the same mistakes in the next game.

“A lot of positives and a few things that we’re going to fix and do differently and learn from, but we’re young and it’s early in the season and we fully expect that,” Kasmarik-Mallet said. “Our goal is to not make the same mistakes twice.”

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