Game Recap
After recently clinching a playoff berth in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) playoffs, the Yellowjackets had an opportunity to further solidify their seeding in the postseason tournament. The Yellowjackets busted out of the gate with that in mind as they were aggressive in the early going. Superior jumped out to an early lead, finding the back of the net in the 15th and 17th minute to take a 2-0 lead. The Rams immediately searched for an answer, but could not quite capitalize on their opportunities right away. They eventually wore down the Yellowjacket defense to tie the game in a blink of an eye. Mikel Vacek scored in the 29th minute thanks to a beautiful set-up by Emma Brekhuswho found the back of the net for a goal of her own just minutes later to tie the game at 2-2. After a fury of goals from NCU, Superior was quick to answer, taking the lead once again in the 39th minute to take a 3-2 lead into the halftime break. With the Yellowjackets seemingly grabbing hold of the momentum before halftime, NCU ramped up the offensive aggression in the 2nd half, resulting in a goal in the 54th minute by Rachel Cribb to tie the game back up for the second time throughout the contest. With minutes ticking off the clock and overtime seemingly all the more likely, the Yellowjackets broke through the Ram's offense, finding the back of the net in the 81st minute which proved to be the decider in a tight 4-3 victory for UWS.

Season Recap
The Rams finish their 2019 season highlighted by a home victory over Maranatha Baptist University on Tuesday, October 22nd by a score of 3-2. The leading goal scorer all year for the Rams has been Junior Mikel Vacek with three total goals and has served as a swiss-army knife for Head Coach Montgomery all season as someone who plays all over the field, a defender, midfielder, and forward. Right behind Vacek in goals scored was Senior Emma Brekhus who had a very steady season for the Rams. NCU will say goodbye to Brekhus and Jamie Meyers as they were the two lone seniors on a very young Rams squad. Meyers and Brekhus have been very important players for Coach Montgomery in her first two seasons as they consistently led on and off the field. As NCU looks ahead to the 2020 season, the young group of Rams provide hope for continued growth for the Women's Soccer program as NCU will return 5 of their 6 goal scorers on the season. Coach Montgomery is excited about the character of the girls in their program and the direction they are headed as they continue to build.

Media: For further information, contact Mike Knipe at 612-343-3541 or email mjknipe@northcentral.edu.