MANKATO, MN – Battling blow for blow on the home field of one of the nation's top programs, the University of Mary saw its season end suddenly following a shootout in the opening round of the 2019 Northern Sun women's soccer tournament. Officially a 1-1 draw with Minnesota State University, the 3^rd-seeded Mavericks advance to the NSIC semifinals after edging the 6^th-seeded Marauders 6-5 in the shootout.
 
On a cloudy day in the low 30s, winds blowing at 10 miles an hour, and snow falling heavier as the game continued, the Marauders and the Mavericks kept each other in check all day. Both teams scored in the opening half before both defenses shut the door during the remainder of the game.
 
Malia Brudvik opened the scoring off a corner kick opportunity. The senior defender triggered the set piece from the left side of the net and served a ball that eluded the Mavericks defenders and found the net to give the Marauders a 1-0 lead in the 35^th minute. It was the first goal of the season for Brudvik, who tied the Marauders NCAA era record for assists in a single season with nine, which ranks her third in the NSIC.
 
Less than five minutes later, the Mavericks pulled even when Jenny Vetter found the lower left corner of the net in the 40^th minute of play, sending the two teams into intermission tied 1-1.
 
After neither team scored in the second half, the first overtime ended with a flurry of shots. Twice in the final two minutes UMary goalkeeper Madisyn Waltman was forced to make a save to send the game to a second extra session.
 
Vetter then nearly ended the match in the 105^th minute. After shaking the Marauders defenders, her shot grazed the right post. The Marauders countered with Hannah Richter sending a shot heading to the lower right corner of the Mavericks net that Minnesota State goalkeeper Alexa Rabune deflected out of play, resulting in a Marauders corner kick. UMary was unable to take advantage of the opportunity, requiring s shootout to decide which team would advance to the NSIC semifinals.
 
A year prior UMary knocked 2018 NSIC champion Bemidji State out of the conference tournament vis shootout. In 2019 the tables reversed on the Marauders.
 
Shooting second, the Marauders fell behind 1-0 to the Mavericks when Sidney Burrell's attempt hit the crossbar. UMary evened the score at 1-1 after the second round following a save by Waltman and success by Samantha Guzman. Both teams made their next four shots with Noelle Vigneri, Cassidy Pierce, Kylee Welch and Taylor Pettigrew matching successful penalty kicks with their Mavericks counterparts.  
 
In the seventh round, Libby Spangler connected for the Mavericks before Rabune guessed correctly and knocked away Brudvik's attempt to extend the contest and the Marauders season.
 
This is the second time Minnesota State ended the Marauders season in the NSIC tournament in a shootout, previously edging the Marauders in 2009.  
 
The Mavericks held the edge in shots (17-3), shots on frame (8-3) and corner kicks (11-5) while the Marauders were called for more fouls (14-11).
 
Waltman posted seven saves for the Marauders. Richter had a team-best two shots and two shots in goal for UMary.
 
The Marauders, ranked ninth in the NCAA Central Region rankings released during the match, finish the season 11-4-3 overall. The Mavericks are 15-3-1 and ranked third in the region.
 
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