ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Jayla Ponce (SR, Kuna, Idaho/Kuna HS) scored her 10th goal of the season, and goalkeeper Claire Smothers (SO, Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa City HS) claimed a pair of huge saves late in the game, as the Augsburg University women's soccer team recorded its fourth win in its last five games, a 1-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference triumph at Macalester College on Monday evening.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 1, Macalester 0
LOCATION: Macalester Stadium, St. Paul, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 6-5-0 overall (3-2-0 MIAC), Macalester 3-6-1 overall (0-4-1 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Augsburg scored the lone goal of the game in the 28th minute. A long upfield pass by Danielle Wagner (SR, Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee HS) was tipped by Piper Jarombek (SO, Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park HS) ahead to Lennon Folstad (FY, St. Paul, Minn./Central HS). Folstad then threaded the needle on a through ball to a streaking Ponce on the left side, and she delivered her 10th goal of the season.
• The Augsburg defense held firm throughout, especially in the second half, where the Auggies were outshot by a 4-2 margin. Macalester had several solid scoring chances, but a possible tying goal was called off on offsides with 17 minutes left, and Smothers made two huge saves in the closing minutes -- a save on a rising shot from the top of the box with nine minutes left, and another save on a solid shot from distance with eight minutes left.
• Macalester held a 56-to-44-percent possession advantage in the game, but the Auggie defensive shell kept the Scots to just 27 percent of its possession in the attacking quarter of the field. Wagner, Avery Rich SR, Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka HS), Grace Dickerson (SR, Northfield, Minn./Northfield HS) and Phoebe Alva Rosa (SR, Jackson, Wyo./Jackson Hole HS) played the full 90 minutes on defense, as did Ponce and Folstad up front.
• Augsburg had an 8-7 advantage in shots in the game, including a 6-4 edge in shots on-target. Smothers had four saves for her third shutout in goal, and Augsburg's sixth shutout of the year.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Ponce now has 39 goals and 27 assists for 105 points in her 66-game Augsburg career, including 10 goals and three assists for 23 points in 11 games this season. Ponce is now in third place in school history in career goals, tied for fourth in assists and third in points. This season, she is third among MIAC players in both goals and points.

FOR THE FOES
• Abigail Heuga had four saves in goal for Macalester.
• Adi Nhouyvanisvong had two shots on-goal for the Scots.

UP NEXT
• Augsburg travels to face Macalester College in MIAC play on Saturday (10/4) at 3:30 p.m. in St. Paul, Minn.