Minneapolis, MN -- The North Central University (NCU) women's soccer team returned to Elliot Park Field for another Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) contest Wednesday afternoon. Today, the Rams faced the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM) Cougars for the first time this season. Both teams entered today's match in search of their first win on the year. In the first half, North Central hunkered down on the defensive end to try and slow the UMM attack. In the second half, NCU would push the ball on the offensive attack to create the most shots on goal in a game this season, but would end up falling short as the Cougars went on to win 3-0.

The first goal of the game was scored almost immediately in just the 3rd minute of action by Minnesota Morris to put the Rams at a one-goal deficit. Later, in the 14th minute, the Cougars struck again with their second goal of the game to double their lead. After this, North Central settled into their defensive half and did a nice job of limiting chances for the visitors. Unable to post a shot in the first half, NCU found themselves down 2-0 to the Cougars at halftime.

Just 52 seconds into the second half, UMM scored its third goal of the match to take a commanding lead. The Rams then put the pedal to the medal and started to hunt offensive opportunities. Defender Ramiyah Words and forward Catelyn Ketterling both saw great chances to score in a bang-bang sequence that the Morris goalkeeper turned away. Ramiyah Words totaled a season-high 3 shots (2 SOG) to lead all Rams. Sophomore Paula Capili provided a needed spark for NCU as she danced her way through UMM defenders to record 2 shots on goal. Goalkeeper Erma Ramirez had a strong showing in net as she racked up 9 saves on the day. North Central eventually would lose 3-0 to MN-Morris

Today's box score can be found here.


Looking Ahead:

Up next, the team hosts Crown College this Saturday, October 5th at 2:00pm for their 2024 senior day. The Rams will recognize senior captains Esther Johnson and Anna Deichert following the match. 

All fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X) pages for updates on women's soccer and all things NCU Athletics.