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Eilertson was no slouch though, saving seven shots on goal throughout the game, and keeping Hamline in charge.

Both teams stepped onto the field in the second half with as much vigor and vim as they exhibited in the first, fighting for possession of the ball in both halves of the field. The Wildcats made a few spectacular runs on goal, including one cross from the right side that almost went in unassisted.

The Pipers, however, were not to be outdone, pushing the ball up the field every time they gained possession from the quick St. Kate’s team. Ball movement seemed to lag at certain points, but the Hamline offense and midfield did a great job of breaking away from their defenders and finding their open players.
This allowed them to penetrate deep into the Wildcat’s backfield, keeping pressure on both their defense and goalkeeper. The Pipers took ten shots on the night, with eight on goal. In the seventieth minute, they were finally rewarded for the second time of the evening with another goal from Smith, this time with an assist from Greta Heaps.

Hamline again made a run just three minutes later, when Smith and Heaps teamed up for another goal. KC Heaney would later put one in with an assist from Ann Donner.

Even coach Tony Englund got into the action, earning the Hamline bench a yellow card while contesting a call from the official.

What was truly impressive about the Pipers’ play was their creativity on offense, making scoring chances and finding open teammates seemingly out of thin air. Creativity like this opened up the field for the team, allowing them to dictate the tempo of the game and keep their heads about them.

St. Kate’s didn’t make good use of their scoring opportunities or their set pieces, but Hamline didn’t make it any easier for them to get good chances.

The defense had a great night, stopping every one of St. Kate’s goal opportunities from throw-ins and corner-kicks. The defense was able to clear the ball out when they were in trouble, and find open midfielders when they weren’t, shifting the momentum of the game and forcing St. Kate’s midfielders to scramble back to help their already stressed defense. The Wildcats offense worked the ball upfield on a number of occasions and were able to fire off nine shots, with seven on goal, but were stopped on every occasion.

If this womens team keeps up their ability to shift styles on the fly and get the ball up to their offensive players as they did against St. Kate’s, they’ll be able to compete in the MIAC this year. Of course, hat-tricks from the likes of Joe Smith and her offensive cohorts wouldn’t hurt either.