4 Elimination Games In 8 Days Catches Up With Cobbers

ST. PAUL, Minn. (11/02/23)---Playing its fourth elimination game in the past eight days, Concordia gave up a pair of goals in a span of 6 minutes sandwiched around the halftime break and lost 2-0 at 2-time defending conference tournament champion St. Catherine in the MIAC semifinals.

The Cobbers entered the final week of the regular season needing to post four points in their last two games to make the playoffs. CC won at St. Scholastica on Oct. 25 and then tied St. Olaf in the regular-season on Saturday before beating St. Benedict in the quarterfinals of the league tournament on Monday.

Concordia finishes the season with an 8-6-4 record. The Cobbers have their year halted in the postseason for the first time since 2015, and their fifth-place finish in the league's regular-season standings was the highest since 2014.

The fourth time wasn't the charm as Concordia's winning ways were ended just before, and after the halftime break. The teams went back-and-forth for the opening 40 minutes of play, with both teams taking shots from around the penalty area. The game changed in the final minute of the opening half when the Wildcats had a corner kick. The initial service was knocked around before it found a Wildcat attacker at the top of the right side of the penalty area. She played the ball on a loop to the back post that found a teammate who drove home the game-winning goal with 40 seconds left in the first period.

The Cobbers got caught on a counter in the sixth minute of the second half, which led to St. Catherine's insurance goal. After collecting the ball in the middle of the field, the Wildcats played the ball down the left wing. A crossing attempt was met at the near corner of the 6-yard area ,where the SCU player knocked the shot into the top left corner.

Concordia had four shots in the final 13 minutes of play,but couldn't get on the board. Emma Sheflo and Emily Larsen both had shots saved by the keeper in the final stretch of the game.

The Wildcats held a 20-9 advantage in total shots and an 11-6 edge in shots on goal.

Sheflo and Hannah Mukhtar had two shots each to lead CC, while goalie Bre Nelson made nine saves in her final game as a Cobber.