Photo by Samantha Davis: Southwest Minnesota State University forward Brooke Wetterstrom (front) slides into a shot on goal during a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference match against Minnesota Crookston at Mattke Field in Marshall on Sunday. Wetterstrom scored the game-winning goal as the Mustangs defeated the Golden Eagles 1-0 for their first NSIC win of the season.

MARSHALL — Senior forward Brooke Wetterstrom’s first-half goal led the Southwest Minnesota State University soccer team to its first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victory, snapping a five-game skid, against Minnesota Crookston 1-0 on Senior Day on Sunday.

“It feels great. We’ve been struggling a little bit for the past few weeks. Today wasn’t our best game, but it’s a whole team effort,” Wetterstrom said. “We still persisted through everything.”

The Mustangs controlled possession a majority of the game to help hold off the Golden Eagles, primarily throughout the second half, and out-shot Crookston 14-10. SMSU had seven shots on target to Crookston’s eight.

“We got over the line and we got the win, that was the most important thing for today,” SMSU assistant coach Becky Wilkins said. “It was maybe not the prettiest of games at all times, but we stuck to our tactics and the game plan worked.”

The notable win came on Senior Day, honoring the Mustangs’ group of seniors in Wetterstrom, Laney Brill, Sandra Kraling, Kylie Brazill, Lenee Chavez and Isabel Blanco.

“All [of our seniors] are all leaders,” SMSU assistant coach Cesar Carrillo said. “We have one that’s sitting out with a season-ending injury right now [Blanco], and she still helps the bench to stay motivated and stay engaged … Lenee is one of our captains, but any of our seniors are lovely leaders.”

SMSU goalkeeper Kennady Krebs had a strong performance in the net, finishing the day with eight saves, seven of which were in the first half. Crookston goalkeeper Payton King finished with six saves, with two in the first half.

“She’s [Krebs] been big for us … She’s been amazing throughout the whole season for us. Being big, coming out and making some big saves,” Carrillo said. “There was one where in the first half, the opposing team shot and it deflected [off] one of our players, and she was able to jump and make a move to save it. She’s a freshman, but she doesn’t play like it.”

The Golden Eagles and Mustangs fought off one another throughout the first half, yet Wetterstrom was determined to find the net on senior day, leading SMSU with three shots in the first half.

“She got the goal today, and it was an important goal,” Wilkins said. “She is always a great team leader from the side, getting the ball in the box, getting some shots and leading the team from the front … She puts her body on the line, too.”

Wetterstrom finished the day with three shots, while Mercy Godfrey and Karla Paredes-Nino each followed with two shots.

Throughout a stagnant half, Sophia Bakri found an open Wetterstrom charging up the left side of the field who took two more dribbles up and shot the ball over King’s head into the back right of the net in the 43rd minute just prior to halftime.

“I think I didn’t let the mistakes that I made deter what I was doing. I was trying to keep positive, and keep everyone forward, positive with the ball,” Wetterstrom said. “We can’t just stop, we have to keep pressuring, and we eventually were able to get that goal. Great ball by [Bakri], we were able to move it and switch the field to what we’ve been working on.”

SMSU’s defense showed up big in the second half to limit Crookston to just two shots, while the Mustangs’ offense made it a habit to continue attacking with seven more second-half shots to save the victory.

“I think we were just able to still play our own game, while keeping the ball,” Wetterstrom said. “We weren’t just going to stop the packing just because we were up by one. We kept trying to get that second goal, but we kept our line high, and we were doing the best we could. It ended up working out.”

“We have a lot of trust in our defense to be able to obtain that lead,” Carrillo added. “They did a great job on executing and making sure nothing happened.”

Coming into Sunday, SMSU and Crookston were both looking for their first conference victory.

The Golden Eagles were riding a three-game losing streak, against Wayne State, Augustana and Sioux Falls.

The Mustangs dropped a close 3-2 match on Friday to Minnesota State University Moorhead after a second-half burst from the Dragons. SMSU head coach Clay Glasgow referred to Sunday’s match against Crookston as a “must-win” after the Friday game.

SMSU (2-5, 1-3) will next look to keep the momentum going when it returns to Mattke Field for its third of a four-game homestand on Friday at 3 p.m., hosting the undefeated Minnesota State Mavericks (6-0-1, 4-0 NSIC) in an NSIC matchup. The game will be a Pink Out for Cancer Awareness Day.