BISMARCK, ND – Goals by Sophia Lange and Olivia Gardner in the first 18 minutes of play combined with another stingy defensive effort led the University of Mary women's soccer team to a decisive 3-0 win over visiting Northern State University in the final game of the 2024 regular season.  

The Marauders secured the 5^th seed in the 2024 NSIC tournament. UMary will play at #4 seed St. Cloud State University on Monday, November 11, in the first round of the conference playoffs. Kickoff is set for 2 pm in St. Cloud, MN. The Marauders and the Huskies played to a 1-1 draw in Bismarck, ND, on October 11, in their only meeting of the year.
 
The NSIC tournament semifinals are slated for Friday, November 15, and the championship game Sunday, November 17, at the home field of the top remaining seed following first round play.
 
The victory is the 99^th for UMary head coach Sarah Cook, who is in her 13^th season leading the Marauders program.
 
This is the 7^th straight NSIC tournament appearance for UMary.
 
The Marauders completed the regular season with a mark of 10-4-3 overall and 8-3-3 in the Northern Sun for 27 points.
 
Northern State finishes the 2024 season 7-7-4 overall and 6-5-3 in the NSIC. The Wolves would have earned a spot in the conference tournament with a win over the Marauders.
 
Playing her last home game for the Marauders, Lange scored her first collegiate goal to open the scoring in the 13^th minute. Following a corner kick, the senior defender from Big Lake, MN, cleaned up a clearing attempt by Northern State atop the goal area by ripping a shot off a bounce into the top left side of the net.
 
Less than five minutes later Olivia Gardner doubled the Marauders advantage to 2-0. Taking a pass from Amelie Faa, Gardner fired a shot from inside the top left of the box. Wolves goalkeeper Alexus Townsend came out off her line to make an initial save but the ball rebounded right back to Gardner. With Townsend sprawled on the turf, Gardner buried a shot from 12 yards out into the left side of the net for her fourth goal of the season.
 
Rio Spruenken regained the team lead for goals from Gardner with the lone counter of the second half. The junior midfielder scored her fifth goal of the season in the 84^th minute off a feed from Ava Vizenor.
 
The shutout was the tenth of the season for the Marauders and ninth clean sheet this season for Molly Fischer. The UMary senior goalkeeper made three saves in the game. Fischer had 10 shutouts last season, the second-highest individual total in program history.
 
UMary held the advantage in shots (19-8), shots on frame (19-8) and in corner kicks (6-3).
 
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