Mankato, MN – Saturday, the North Central University (NCU) women's soccer team hit the road for another Upper Midwest Athletic Conference matchup against Bethany Lutheran College. The Rams entered the contest looking to build upon recent progress and bring home a strong performance against one of the conference's top teams. Despite the challenging environment, North Central showed poise in possession and fought hard through all 90 minutes, highlighted by a second-half goal from junior forward Paula Capili.

The Rams opened the match under immediate pressure but responded with composure on the defensive end. Senior goalkeeper Erma Ramirez was active early, coming off her line to intercept through balls and turning aside a string of difficult shots inside the opening fifteen minutes. Her experience helped settle the back line, led by defenders Ramiyah Words and Joyce Horton, who each made key clearances to limit second-chance opportunities. Midway through the half, NCU began to find its rhythm in the midfield, sparked by graduate midfielder Anna Deichert, who connected well with Capili and first-year midfielder Kateryn Perez to create a few promising attacking sequences. Capili nearly broke through in the 22nd minute, slipping past a defender and forcing the opposing keeper into a diving save at the near post. Despite the home side's heavy pressure, outshooting NCU 18-4 in the first half, the Rams' back line stayed organized and battled until halftime. Ramirez was sharp, recording 6 saves in the opening period, many of them from point-blank range, to keep the Rams within striking distance.

North Central came out energized after the break, pressing higher up the field and moving the ball with confidence through the midfield. Senior Tayler Boudreaux took over between the posts in the second half and immediately made a handful of key saves to deny additional scoring chances. On the attacking end, Perez continued to generate offense for the Rams, firing a pair of well-struck shots from distance that tested the keeper. The breakthrough finally came in the 74th minute when Paula Capili found herself in open space deep on top of the box and sent a shot over the outstretched arms of the Vikings' keeper to put the Rams on the board. NCU continued to battle through the final whistle, showing strong effort in defensive recovery and communication. Although Bethany Lutheran held sizable advantages in total shots (33-7) and corners (13-0), North Central's resilience stood out. Ramirez and Boudreaux combined for 10 total saves, with both making several highlight-worthy stops to anchor the Rams defensively.

Looking Ahead:

Up next, the Rams return home to Elliot Park Field for Senior Day on Wednesday, October 29th, when they host the University of Minnesota Morris. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM in Minneapolis.

As always, 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.