Photo Credit: John Sehloff

MANKATO, Minn. – The Bethany women's soccer team defeated the College of St. Scholastica for the first time in program history on Saturday afternoon at the BLC Soccer Field. The final score of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) game was 2-1.
 
The Saints had won 11 straight against the Vikings, however, the last two meetings have been decided by one goal. The lone tie in the series took place in Mankato during the 2010 season.
 
Freshman Rachel Bitter (Bemidji, Minn.) sparked the Vikings offense with her 15th goal of the season in the 41st minute to lead the Vikings into half with a 1-0 lead. Junior Nicole Moldstad (North Mankato, Minn.) recorded the assist on the goal by Bitter. Early in the second period, Reigan Struck-Johnson and Bridget Brown (North Mankato, Minn.) setup a beautiful goal by Moldstad to extend the Vikings lead to two goals.
 
With seven minutes remaining in the UMAC showdown, the Saints cut the deficit in half when Taylor Olsen found the back of the net on Vikings goalkeeper, Averi Cash (Ottumwa, Iowa). The Vikings then stepped up their defensive attack to earn the 2-1 victory.
 
Cash finished with seven saves in the net for Bethany. St. Scholastica had eight shots on goal compared to the Vikings six.
 
With the program's first win over St. Scholastica, Bethany improves to 8-6-2 overall and 4-1-1 in the (UMAC).
 
UP NEXT:
On Wednesday, October 19^th the women's soccer team will play Minnesota-Morris at the BLC Soccer Field. 3:15 p.m. is the scheduled start time with the men's game starting at 1 p.m.
 
To stay current with Vikings athletics this season, continue to visit www.blcvikings.com and follow @BLCvikings on Twitter. MEDIA: If you need further information, please feel free to contact Lucas Herd at 507-344-7856 or email lucas.herd@blc.edu.