Women's Soccer 10/12/04 -- Augsburg 2, St. Benedict 1 (2OT)

BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (10/12/04) -- Becky Lewis (So., Duluth, Minn./Duluth Marshall HS) scored the game-winning goal with 5:33 left to play in the second overtime, giving Augsburg College a 2-1 victory over the College of St. Benedict in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's soccer game Tuesday afternoon at Augsburg's Edor Nelson Field.

On a scramble following a corner kick, Lewis got the ball off a blocked shot by Jackie Keller (Fr., Traverse City, Mich./Traverse City West HS) on the left side of the penalty box and fired a shot from 15 yards away for the game-winning goal.

Augsburg claimed its seventh win in its last nine games -- and its second two-overtime win in a row -- to improve to 7-5-0 on the season, 5-2-0 in MIAC play. St. Benedict, MIAC regular-season champions the last two seasons in a row, dropped its second straight game to fall to 7-5-0 overall, 4-3-0 in MIAC play.

Augsburg's victory broke a seven-game losing streak in its all-time series against St. Benedict, a series the Blazers lead 15-7-1. Augsburg has won just three games over St. Benedict since the 1989 season.

The win give Augsburg a big lift in pursuit of its first-ever berth in the four-team MIAC postseason playoffs. Augsburg moved into fourth place in the MIAC with the win, breaking a previous tie with both St. Benedict and St. Thomas. Augsburg has five games remaining in the regular season, four in league play.

St. Benedict took the lead in the 64th minute, when Patti Clintsman (Jr., Maplewood, Minn./Hill-Murray HS) scored on a 20-yard shot from the right edge of the penalty box, coming off a downfield sprint by Erin Doyle (Sr., Fargo, N.D./Fargo North HS).

Augsburg tied the game in the 79th minute, when Emily Anderson (So., Hudson, Wis.) scored off a free kick by Nora Austin * (Jr., St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS). Anderson sprinted right off the cross-field free kick, depositing the pass to the net.

Augsburg outshot St. Benedict by a 22-17 margin, including a 7-2 edge in the two overtime sessions.

Amanda Broadbent (Jr., Arvada, Colo./D'Evelyn HS) made eight saves for the Blazers in goal, while Auggie goalkeeper Liz Osterman (Fr., Lincoln, Neb./Southeast HS) made five saves.

Augsburg returns to MIAC play on Saturday (10/16) as part of a soccer doubleheader at Concordia-Moorhead. The women's game is at 1 p.m., with the men's game following at 3:30. St. Benedict returns to MIAc action on Friday (10/15) with a game at league-leader Macalester.