BEMIDJI -- The NSIC Tournament championship trophy had never touched the turf at Chet Anderson Stadium before Sunday.
And after Minnesota State鈥檚 4-2 win over the Bemidji State women鈥檚 soccer team, the trophy was whisked away from the Beavers all too soon.
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鈥淭hat definitely stings a lot,鈥� senior captain Allyson Smith said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been here five years working for this. 鈥� We don鈥檛 ever want to feel this way again. So one good thing coming out of it is that we鈥檒l fight so we don鈥檛.鈥�
The taste of defeat was strangely unfamiliar for a team that hadn鈥檛 lost in 23 matches and more than two calendar years. A hopeful 1-0 start met a bitter reality when the Mavericks scored three unanswered to take over.
鈥淭he ironic thing is we played really well,鈥� BSU head coach Jim Stone said. 鈥淚t just wasn鈥檛 our day. Give credit to them. (Maille Mathis) hit a couple shots that were tough to save, and we made some mistakes under pressure, and here we are.鈥�
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Smith scored the opening goal on a beautiful give-and-go with Sara Wendt, coolly beating the keeper with a calculated tap to the right in the ninth minute. But Mathis unleashed two deep rockets in the final seven minutes of the half, including the go-ahead goal with just 32 seconds on the clock.
鈥淵ou never want to let in a goal with 33 seconds left in the half,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淲e knew we had to go out there and fight. Our energy coming out in the second half was good, and we were all over them for a while.鈥�
Bemidji State (18-1-2) did stage a comeback, but not before MSU (17-2-2) added an insurance goal on Sophie Eskierka鈥檚 dagger in the 70th minute. It dropped the Beavers in a two-goal deficit for the first time in more than three years.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 difficult about Mankato is stopping them from adding that insurance goal,鈥� Stone said. 鈥溾�� Then they dropped everyone in towards the end (of the game) and showed us a lot of respect, trying to see the game out.鈥�
Megan Dahl and Wendt pumped some life into BSU with 15 minutes left. Dahl鈥檚 booming free kick from midfield found Wendt in the box, and Wendt headed it into the side netting for a 3-2 game.
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There was one more goal to be had, too, but the Mavericks produced it. Allie Williams froze Bemidji State keeper Alyssa Stumbaugh with a 20-yard free kick that proved to be the dagger in the 83rd minute.
鈥淥nce we got within 2-3, I thought one was coming. I really did,鈥� Stone said. 鈥淲hen the game was more back and forth, it was there for us to grab, we just didn鈥檛 grab it.鈥�
The Beavers鈥� four goals allowed are tied for the most the program has given up in a match since 2012. It was a jarring contrast from a defense that had pitched seven straight shutouts entering the title match.
Early in the game, though, Stumbaugh stretched her shutout streak to 582:09 to establish a new program record. Smith, Wendt, Dahl and Emma Huelsnitz were also named to the NSIC All-Tournament team.
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Those are the small victories BSU wants to hold onto, knowing that its season is far from over.
鈥淲e put up a fight. We made history,鈥� said Smith, referencing an unbeaten regular season and the program鈥檚 first appearance in the conference title game . 鈥淵ou have to celebrate your little wins, too. Yeah, it stings and it hurts, but you鈥檝e got to keep your head up and realize we have games coming up. We鈥檝e got to get back to work.鈥�
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show awaits. The bracket will be revealed at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13, on NCAA.com ahead of first-round games on Thursday, Nov. 18. Bemidji State is likely to earn the No. 2 or No. 3 seed, with the top two seeds hosting in the region tournament.
No. 25 Minnesota State 4, No. 6 Bemidji State 2
MSU 2 2 -- 4
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BSU 1 1 -- 2
First half -- 1, BSU GOAL, Smith (Wendt), 9鈥�; 2, MSU GOAL, Mathis (unassisted), 39鈥�; 3, MSU GOAL, Mathis (unassisted), 45鈥�.
Second half -- 4, MSU GOAL, Eskierka (Mosher, Watt), 70鈥�; 5, BSU GOAL, Wendt (Dahl), 76鈥�; 6, MSU GOAL, Williams (unassisted), 83鈥�.
Saves -- Stumbaugh (BSU) 8; Rath (MSU) 5.
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