The Mines Women’s soccer team shutout an undermanned University of Nebraska Kearney team en route to a 2-0 home victory during Senior Night on October 14.
It was a solid win for the #19 Orediggers, but during the game it was unclear which side was going to come out on top. The first half was dominated by defensive play, with neither offense able to capitalize on scoring chances. At halftime, the game remained scoreless despite the Lady Orediggers mustering up 10 total shots.
Mines started the second half much like the first, with a strong defensive showing that led to several scoring opportunities. However, similar to the first 45 minutes, Loper goalkeeper Marissa Niday kept Mines scoreless, facing another barrage of shots.
As the second half progressed, Mines began to solve the Lopers defense. After increased pressure and a few defensive errors by Kearney, Mines was finally able to put one on the board. In the 75th minute Mines’ Joanna Graves stole the ball off of a UNK turnover and snuck a shot past Niday, putting it into the back of the net to give the Orediggers a 1-0 lead.
The Oredigger defense continued to hold off Nebraska-Kearney and in the 87 minute added an insurance goal to increase the lead to 2-0. Senior Erin Onat played a through ball to Anna Evans who evaded the defense with some fancy footwork before launching a shot past Niday for the score.
The defense held strong for the last few minutes as Mines goalkeeper Amy Hegarty made two saves to secure her fourth shutout of the season. Mines is currently 12-2-1 overall and 8-2-1 in the RMAC. The Lady Orediggers are tied for second in the conference with three games remaining.