MANKATO, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris women's soccer team opened Upper Midwest Athletic Conference action with a 2-2 draw against Bethany Lutheran College on Wednesday in Mankato, Minn.
"Extremely proud of how hard we worked tonight," said interim head coach
Colin Kaurich. "The effort, energy and passion were incredible."
The Cougars struck first in the ninth minute.
Aime Bustillos played the corner short to
Tessa Humphreys, who then fired a shot into the box that took a deflection off a BLC defender for the opening goal. The Vikings answered right back, scoring less than two minutes later. Bethany Lutheran had a few good looks on goal, but the shots were off target.
Ashlynn Pollreisz took a shot from the edge of the box but could not beat the goalkeeper.
Malia Totoris had a shot from distance that was blocked before reaching the goal. After some great passing from Totoris to Pollreisz and back to Totoris, Totoris fired a shot that found the back of the net, giving the Cougars the lead. In the final two minutes,
Talalupe Levale sent a square pass to Totoris right in front of the six-yard box, but the shot went over the bar. Minnesota Morris entered halftime with a 2-1 lead.
The Vikings earned a penalty kick in the second minute of the second half, but the shot went off the crossbar.
CJ Frear-Boerner stopped a low cross to keep BLC out of the net. Pollreisz had the first Cougar shot of the half after taking a great touch.
The Vikings drew level in the 70th minute.
Gracelin Challeen picked off a pass right in front of the goal but could not get the shot on frame.
Brianna Ganske found Pollreisz in front of the net, but the BLC goalkeeper made a great save. Both teams had strong opportunities late, but the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
Totoris scored her first goal of the season, with Pollreisz picking up an assist. Minnesota Morris tallied 14 shots, with six being on frame. Pollreisz led the team with six shots, four of which were on target. Totoris followed with four shots, while Levale rounded out the top three with two. Frear-Boerner recorded a pair of saves in goal.
The Cougars will play their final nonconference game on Saturday as they host the University of Wisconsin-Stout for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
