MOORHEAD, Minn. — UW-Eau Claire defeated Luther 2-0 on Saturday at Jake Christiansen Stadium. The Blugolds scored once in each half and held the Norse scoreless over 90 minutes. UW-Eau Claire finished with an 11-7 shot advantage and put seven shots on goal to the Norse's two.
UW-Eau Claire built early pressure with
Abby Beal's shot in the ninth minute, then put four shots on goal from
Johanna Thompson,
Jayda Swopes and
Brooklyn Osby between 16:01 and 24:04.
Bella Jones kept the Norse off the board with saves in the 12th and 29th minutes. The Blugolds opened the scoring in the 31st minute, when
Bella Felegy finished off
Lauren Putnam's assist at 30:34 for a 1-0 lead. The Blugolds were able to withstand two first-half corner kicks from the home side. Felegy added another shot on goal in the 37th minute, and UW-Eau Claire earned two late corners before taking a 1-0 advantage into halftime.
UWEC added to their advantage early in the second half, with
Mikalyn Hidde scoring at 48:52 off a Swopes assist to make it 2-0. The match tightened physically soon after, as UW-Eau Claire was whistled for fouls on
Olivia Lukrafka Varassin and Hidde before the Norse were called for two fouls in a stretch from 50:29 to 59:01. The Norse earned a corner in the 65th minute and later had shots by Kate Van Deventer and Suzett Hinds Cruz miss wide, while the Blugolds handled the remaining pressure and earned an 84:19 corner. UW-Eau Claire held the Norse scoreless through the half and finished off a 2-0 win, finishing off a perfect weekend.
Felegy scored the first goal and game-winner, putting both of her shots on goal. Hidde added a goal on two shots. Swopes recorded an assist and put both of her shots on frame. Jones played all 90 minutes in goal, made two saves and posted a shutout in the net for the Blugolds.
The Blugolds advance to 2-1 overall and the Norse fall to 0-1 overall.
Up next, the Blugolds host Augsburg University on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at Simpson Field in Eau Claire, Wis.
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