Women's Soccer 10/27/04 -- St. Olaf 4, Augsburg 0 

BOXSCORE

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (10/27/04) -- Kelsay Watt (So., Apple Valley, Minn.) had a goal and an assist as the St. Olaf College women's soccer team rolled over visiting Augsburg College 4-0 on Wednesday afternoon, keeping the Oles' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff hopes alive and, separately, clinching a spot for Augsburg in the postseason for the first time in school history.

Despite losing its regular-season finale to finish 10-7-0 overall and 7-4-0 in MIAC play, Augsburg still clinched a berth in the four-team MIAC postseason playoffs, thanks to Carleton's 2-0 loss to Macalester and St. Thomas' 1-0 loss to Gustavus on Wednesday.

Because Augsburg holds a tiebreaker advantage over Carleton, thanks to the Auggies' 1-0 win over the Knights on Saturday, Augsburg clinched a fourth-place finish in the MIAC standings, regardless of how its remaining rivals for playoff berths, St. Olaf (6-4-0 MIAC, 11-6-0 overall) and Carleton (7-3-0 MIAC, 8-7-0 overall), finish in their MIAC finale on Saturday (10/30) at 11 a.m. at St. Olaf. The two Northfield schools will play for the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, with the loser eliminated. The winner will play at No. 2-seed Concordia-Moorhead (12-5-0 overall, 9-1-0 MIAC) next Wednesday (11/3) at a time to be determined.

Augsburg will play conference regular-season titlist Macalester (14-1-1 overall, 10-0-1 MIAC) in the MIAC playoff semifinals next Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Macalester Stadium in St. Paul, Minn. In the teams' only meeting this season on Sept. 8, Macalester beat Augsburg 4-1 in St. Paul.

Against Augsburg on Wednesday, St. Olaf's Watt scored in the 53rd minute and, with Lindsay Ruisch (Jr., Johnston, Iowa), assisted on the game's opening goal by Kaia Knutson (Jr., Fargo, N.D./South HS) in the 34th minute. Maiken Overton (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.) and Erica Gruner (Jr., Appleton, Wis./East HS) found the net for St. Olaf as well.

St. Olaf outshot Augsburg by a 16-6 margin, including a 4-1 edge in corner kicks. Augsburg goalkeeper Liz Osterman (Fr., Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southeast HS) made four saves, while St. Olaf goalkeeper Anna Feigum had to make just one save to score the shutout.