Soccer is a sport of patience.
The game is a chess match, and the pitch is the board. The pieces move fluidly, waiting for the chance to strike. Sometimes, those chances don鈥檛 come to fruition. Other times, they end with the most euphoric feeling in sports: winning a championship.
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For the Bemidji State women鈥檚 soccer team, winning the Central Region title was about making good on the heartbreak from a year earlier. The titles raised through dramatic finishes helped this group of Beavers bring their program to new heights, which now includes being named the Pioneer Team of the Year.
First introduced in 2020, the Pioneer Team of the Year award is meant to annually recognize the accomplishments of one area team from the preceding school year that most impressed fans and media alike. Bemidji State鈥檚 16-3-6 record, NSIC Tournament championship and Central Region championship made the choice obvious. Because, in the end, the Beavers鈥� patience paid off.
Finding their footing
Telling the story of the 2022-23 women鈥檚 soccer team begins long before the season鈥檚 opening match. It starts on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, when the Beavers lost the NSIC Tournament championship game against Minnesota State on their home turf. It was their first loss in 23 matches dating back to Nov. 13, 2019. Despite the 4-2 defeat 鈥� the first of the season for the Beavers 鈥� they qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament.
BSU traveled to Emporia, Kan., to knock off Central Oklahoma in penalty kicks in the first round. It then beat Emporia State 1-0 in the semifinals. However, in the round of 16, Central Missouri handed Bemidji State a 4-1 loss. Even though it was just their second of the season, the Beavers鈥� record-breaking run ended short of the Elite Eight.
Fast forward to August 2022, and BSU is back on the pitch to kick off a new season against a Division I opponent. Its season-opener ended unceremoniously, losing to South Dakota State 3-0. The Beavers took a road trip to Michigan four days later, drawing a 3-3 result against Northern Michigan before picking up a 1-0 victory over Michigan Tech, their first of the new season.
Bemidji State鈥檚 first four games at Chet Anderson Stadium featured offensive struggles. The Bevers pulled out 1-0 wins over Northern State and Minnesota State Moorhead, then tied Mankato 1-1 before losing to Concordia-St. Paul, their first at home in the regular season since 2016. With a 3-2-2 record through seven games, BSU had already matched its previous season鈥檚 loss total.
The unbeaten streak
Bemidji State鈥檚 23-game unbeaten streak from 2019-21 will be hard to top. Though, this year鈥檚 Beavers gave it a run for its money. It started with a 1-0 win on the road against Augustana. BSU swiftly moved through the remainder of its conference schedule, finishing with a 9-0-3 record after the loss against CSP.
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The Beavers entered the NSIC Tournament with the No. 2 seed and a No. 21 national ranking. Facing U-Mary in their opening-round Match, Halle Peterson delivered the lone goal in the 61st minute to advance BSU. In the semifinals, Sara Wednt and Allyson Smith each scored for Bemidji State to claim a spot in the title game in a 2-0 win over Augie.
The Beavers earned their chance to rewrite history 12 months after falling in the NSIC Tournament championship. And after 90 scoreless minutes against Minot State, BSU got the break it deserved.
Erin Becker scored in the 97th minute on a penalty kick, then Sara Wendt left no doubt with a strike five minutes later. For the first time, Bemidji State women鈥檚 soccer players hoisted the NSIC Tournament championship trophy.聽
鈥淚t means everything,鈥� Wendt said that day. 鈥淲e were here last year, and it was a bittersweet ending. 鈥� Winning it this year just means the world to us, and I鈥檓 excited for what鈥檚 next.鈥�
Bemidji State earned the second seed in the Central Region Tournament, setting up a rematch of 2021鈥檚 first-round game against Central Oklahoma. The Beavers cruised to a 3-0 win at the Chet before squaring off against conference rival Mankato in the second round.
BSU achieved another full-circle moment at the Chet. Smith erased an early MSU goal with a strike in the 32nd minute, then Peterson gave Bemidji State the lead in the 49th minute. Jenny Vetter tied the game for the Mavericks in the second half, forcing extra time.
Maria Stocke delivered for BSU in the 102nd minute before Wednt added an insurance goal with time running out. Just over a year after Minnesota State crushed their NSIC Tournament championship hopes, the Beavers earned their retribution and a spot in the Sweet Sixteen. Better yet, top-seeded Central Missouri鈥檚 loss in the round of 32 ensured the next two rounds of the NCAA Tournament would run through Bemidji.
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A finish for the ages
The Central Region championship game spawned another rematch for BSU. Emporia State made the trek from Kansas only to give up the game鈥檚 first goal in the 19th minute off the foot of Wendt. However, Mackenzie Dimarco tied the match for the Hornets in the 78th minute.
Overtime failed to decide a winner, leading to title-deciding penalty kicks under the dark skies and snow-covered turf at the Chet.
Becker scored on the opening attempt, followed by a miss from ESU鈥檚 Asta Kristinsdottir. Wendt gave Bemidji a 2-0 advantage in the second round of kicks before Emporia State got one back in the third round off the foot of Dimarco. Peterson made it 3-1, then Joanie Westcoat鈥檚 miss sent the home crowd at the Chet into a frenzy.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in the final eight of the country,鈥� said BSU head coach Jim Stone, flabbergasted by his own statement that day. 鈥淚 mean, whew. It鈥檚 like a dream coming true right before your eyes.鈥�
It took one year, nail-biting overtimes and heart-racing penalty kicks for Bemidji State to complete its Central Region Tournament redemption story. In a postseason full of firsts, the Beavers lifted another bar-setting trophy.
The 2022-23 women鈥檚 soccer season provided a bevy of full-circle moments for the Beavers, as well as opportunities for more in the future. BSU suffered a 2-0 loss against Ferris State in the Elite Eight two days later. Though, if history wants to keep repeating itself, the Beavers will get their chance to elevate the program a step further. They just have to be patient.
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