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Knights settle for tie with Rams

By Travis Rosenau 4 min read

NEW ULM - The Martin Luther College Knights answered a penalty kick goal by the North Central University Rams with one of their own Saturday.

Unfortunately for both teams, those penalty kicks were the only time anyone could find the back of the net as the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference women's soccer game ended in a 1-1 tie at the MLC Soccer Field.

Despite the draw, the Knights (8-3-4, 4-2-3 UMAC) were hoping for more against the struggling Rams (1-9-1, 0-7-1). The Knights controlled the ball for most of the game and dominated in shots on goal 11-4.

But the Rams defense wasn't budging.

"I think their defense just played with a lot of heart today and they weren't gonna let anything through. Their keeper was the same way," MLC head coach Tyson Zarnstorff said. "We had our opportunities, we just kept trying to look for the perfect pass and couldn't find that perfect pass."

Bella Sorbo was that tough keeper for the Rams, stopping eight shots in net, while Maria Vik had one save in net for MLC.

The Rams were on the board first in the eighth minute, scoring on a penalty kick from Victoria de Abreu. In the 32nd minute, Knights freshman Allison Olson knotted the game up with a penalty kick goal of her own.

Katie Schoeneck, the Knights' leading goal scorer this season with eight goals, had a couple of late chances in the first half to put her team up, but Sorbo stopped back-to-back shots on goal by Schoeneck less than two minutes apart. Schoeneck had another shot with two minutes left to play bang off the post, which was followed up with a quick shot right and out of bounds by Alaina Hackmann.

Zarnstorff said he liked what he saw from his team's attack in the first half and hoped it would lead to a couple more opportunities in the second half with the wind and sun in the Knights' favor.

"The second half we knew we had the wind and the sun on our side," he said. "Just tried to get those opportunities that we did in the first half, we just couldn't find the one that put it in the net."

The Rams had just one shot on goal in the second half and it came two minutes in from Joselyn Eckhart on a low kick up the middle that Vik was able to stop without much trouble. After that, it was all MLC as far as getting shots off and on target.

With a little more than seven minutes to go, the Knights had their best chance at getting on the board again when a shot by Heather Wendt in front of the net was deflected away and followed up with a shot by Schoeneck. Schoeneck's shot was low, however, and saved by Sorbo. Schoeneck had another low shot on goal stopped by Sorbo minutes later before the game came to a close.

Schoeneck finished with six shots on goal, while Minnesota Valley Lutheran grad and MLC sophomore Anna Kramer had two.

"I think we were trying to use the sun and get shots off," Zarnstorff said. "We had some through balls that the goalkeeper just barely beat us to the ball. I think they were quality shots, we just couldn't put it in."

While the Knights had to settle for a draw against a Rams team that is still without a win in UMAC play, Zarnstorff said his team would take more than just a draw away from the game.

"Our captains took the opportunity to just tell everyone, 'Hey, we need to take this and use it as a learning opportunity,'" he said. "Definitely not the result we wanted, but it's the UMAC. Anything can happen on any day and if you take an opponent too lightly, that's what happens."

MLC plays at Crown College in a 7 p.m. UMAC game Tuesday.

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