MANKATO, Minn. — No. 16 Minnesota State defeated No. 5 Grand Valley State 1-0 in a physical match on Sunday at The Pitch. MSU protected the one-goal margin through a late second-half stretch surviving heavy pressure by Grand Valley State who continuously fired shots at the net. The shutout came despite Grand Valley State holding a 26-11 shot advantage and putting 12 shots on goal. The win moved MSU to 3-0-0, while Grand Valley State fell to 2-1-1. The thrilling victory capped off a weekend which saw the Mavericks defeat two teams ranked in the top ten.
"I couldn't be more proud of our ladies and the way they competed today. Amazing performance. Grand Valley State is always so hard to play and it takes a complete team effort to get the job done and we certainly got that from our ladies today," said Head Coach
Brian Bahl.
"To come through a weekend against two of the best teams in the country with two 1-0 wins says a lot about the toughness, discipline and belief of this group. We competed for each other, found a way when it mattered most, and showed what we're capable of as we continue to develop. lots of work ahead of us but incredible start to what we hope is going to be a really special year."
Megan Grater scored the game-winning goal on her lone shot, sneaking one just over the fingertips of the outstretched Lakers goalkeeper.
Abby Hoiska tallied an assist on the Grater goal.
Amara Smith led MSU with three shots.
Lauren McAlpine was fantastic all afternoon making multiple sprawling saves and holding the Lakers off the scoreboard. "This weekend felt amazing, it definitely shows that we are ready to dominate, beating two very high level teams shows that we are here to fight and ready to win," said McAlpine. "This weekend brought us closer as a team, we had so much energy coming into the games, and that energy makes us want to work even harder." McAlpine recorded 12 saves in the match and finished with a shutout, her second straight, and 20th of her career.
MSU absorbed a heavy opening push from Grand Valley State, who recorded seven shots and two corner kicks in the first 12:14, with McAlpine making three huge saves to keep the match scoreless. MSU also generated five shots from 10:54 to 20:23, including saved attempts by
Reese Hilsenbeck,
Mila Rustin and
Callie Stanley, while playing through six fouls in that stretch without a card. Grand Valley State continued to put shots on frame later in the half, but McAlpine added saves at 22:09, 23:52, 28:52 and 33:45. Grater put MSU in front in the 41st minute, finishing a Hoiska assist at 40:52 for a 1-0 lead that held to halftime.
MSU closed out a 1-0 win by holding Grand Valley State scoreless in the second half, with McAlpine making five saves after the break. Earlier, MSU generated a four-shot stretch from 54:30 to 57:42, including two attempts from Smith and shots by
Savanna Stockness and Stanley, before
Addie Dobratz added another attempt in the 66th minute. Grand Valley State put MSU under pressure from there, recording several shots and putting on heavy pressure, but McAlpine was up to the challenge stopping on-target chances in the 66th, 85th and 90th minutes. The half also tightened physically late, with MSU committing multiple fouls and receiving yellow cards to
Elan Litt and the team in the final minute, but the defense kept the score at 1-0 through the final whistle.
Up next, the MSU soccer team hosts Minot State on Friday, Sept. 11, at 3 p.m. at The Pitch in Mankato, Minn.
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