The MSU women’s soccer team only needed one chance Sunday.
The Spartans (7-6-2, 4-4-1 Big Ten) recorded a 1-0 win against Minnesota (4-10, 3-7) on Sunday at Old College Field.
The Spartans dominated the first half with 10 shots, but Minnesota found a way to thwart most of MSU’s chances.
But the Gopher defense couldn’t stop a Spartan corner kick 29 minutes into the game.
Sophomore forward Tiffany Laskowski kicked the ball in front of the net. In the following struggle for the ball, the ball came loose long enough for sophomore forward Kristi Arrington to kick it into the side of the net.
“I really didn’t have to do much,” Arrington said. “I got kind of lucky.”
The Gophers put the pressure on MSU in the second half, making several pushes on the Spartan goal.
One such push pulled sophomore goalkeeper Stacy Heller out of the goal. Shortly after, senior defenseman Nicole LePlae ran into the goal to make a save with Heller scrambling to get back in place.
“I saw Stacy go down out there so I went in,” LePlae said. “Luckily, they hit the ball right at me so I could boot it back out.”
Heller made nine saves in the game en route to the team’s fifth shutout of the year.
The Spartan defense has performed impressively throughout the season, but only receives recognition in games like Sunday’s, head coach Tom Saxton said.
“(Sophomore defenseman Andrea) Sied really anchors the backfield and obviously Stacy Heller is doing a great job,” Saxton said. “We’re in a scoring-oriented society, so they don’t always get the recognition they deserve.”
The Spartans travel to Ann Arbor on Friday to take on Michigan.
