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Better late than never

MSU soccer storms back to beat St. Cloud State to kick off the NSIC Tournament

Alex Eisen/MDN The Minot State women's soccer team hugs it out after Cinthya Samaniego (11) scored the game-winning goal against St. Cloud State on Wednesday in the first round of the NSIC Tournament.

Cinthya Samaniego picked the perfect time to score her first goal for the Minot State women’s soccer team.

After watching the first half from the sidelines, the once coveted junior college transfer out of Arizona Western poked in a game-winning goal to cap a gutsy comeback performance from the Beavers in the first round of the NSIC Tournament.

The long-awaited goal from super-sub Samaniego, plus a pair of superb finishes from Minot native Sofia Lewis, was enough for the No. 4-seeded Beavers (12-4-3) to erase an early 2-0 deficit and rally for a 3-2 win over No. 5-seeded St. Cloud State (8-7-4) Wednesday night at Herb Parker Stadium.

“It was clutch,” Samaniego said. “It was the perfect time. It was a perfect ball. It was just right in front of me, so I had to take advantage of it. It was teamwork and everybody played their hearts out.”

Three goals were scored in the first 15 minutes of the match.

Alex Eisen/MDN MSU junior Cinthya Samaniego (11) gains control of the ball with St. Cloud State defender Mallory Mollenhauer on her back Wednesday at Herb Parker Stadium.

St. Cloud State took advantage of a weak clearance to find the first goal seven minutes in. Kaitlyn Dziubinski played a perfect through ball to Maria Kass, who easily pushed the ball around MSU goalkeeper Erin Rafferty from five yards out.

The fifth goal of the season for Kass snapped MSU’s defensive streak of not allowing a goal for 500-plus minutes. The Beavers’ defense then got beat again four minutes later.

A jump ball in the box off a corner kick by Brooke Bares was won by the head of Maria Witte. Ten minutes in and Minot State was looking up at a 2-0 deficit — something the Beavers had only experience twice this season and had lost both of those games to Bemidji State (3-0) and Minnesota State Mankato (5-0).

Yet, there was no panic from Spain and his crew.

“I told the team I wasn’t worried,” Spain said. “I really felt like we were crisp and were getting clean balls into Sofia (Lewis) and Haley (Berryman). When we are getting the ball clean to those guys, then I feel like we are going to get three or four goals. And we did.”

Alex Eisen/MDN MSU sophomore Sofia Lewis (15) runs after the ball in Wednesday's NSIC Tournament first round game between Minot State and St. Cloud State in Minot.

Samaniego added: “It didn’t feel like we were going to lose, to be honest. Coach Spain said, it didn’t feel like it was over for us. We had a lot of time left.”

Lewis, doing what she has done all season, took matters into her own hands. MSU’s leading goal scorer shook off one defender, slashed inside and unleashed a low-driven rocket from 25 yards out. The ball nestled into the far side corner to put MSU on the scoreboard and spark the belief that the Beavers could rise to the occasion.

“After we scored that first goal, I knew (the goals) would keep coming,” Lewis said. “I think that first goal sparked us. We get down on ourselves, but once something positive happens, we got out of that and said, ‘Yeah, we can do this.'”

Each team had six shots apiece going into halftime, with the Beavers trailing 2-1. Minot State picked up the urgency and intensity in the second half to outshoot the Huskies, 15-10 (10-7 shots on target), for the game.

“The funny thing is, they started stalling by walking to the throw-ins,” Spain said. “I was walking down the line and I told my staff not to say anything because they were wasting their own time. We were going to be on top by the end of the game.”

In the 58th minute, Lewis looped in a header off a pin-point cross whipped in from 40-plus yards out by defender Audrey Wilson. The 16th goal of the season for Lewis, tied for the second-most goals in a single season at Minot State, knotted the score at 2-2.

“Scoring a header is one of the best feelings ever,” Lewis said.

Three minutes after the heroics by Lewis, Samaniego found her own spotlight. But, she was quick to point out her role in the game-winning goal wouldn’t have been possible without senior forward Haley Berryman.

“Haley just threw a perfect ball in and it was right in front of me,” Samaniego said. “It was all Haley, honestly, I just had to poke it.”

Berryman got the cross in after beating two players off the dribble. Sophomore Jordyn Cook, with her back to the goal, slowed the ball down in the box and Samaniego was there to clean up the rest.

Last year at Arizona Western, Samaniego scored 26 goals. A slow start to this season at the Division II level saw her on the bench more often than not. Coming into Wednesday’s game, Samaniego had only played 324 minutes all season without registering a shot on goal.

“We talked and I said, ‘Look, we need you now,'” Spain said. “She came out and had the best shift of her life. I can’t ask for anything more than how she played today.”

It proved to be only a matter of time for Samaniego, and she timed it to perfection.

Elsewhere in the first round of the NSIC Tournament, No. 8-seeded University of Mary upset No. 1-seeded Bemidji State in penalties (8-7) after a scoreless 110 minutes.

No. 2-seeded Minnesota State Mankato shutout No. 7-seeded Concordia St. Paul, 4-0, to earn hosting rights for the rest of the conference tournament.

No. 3-seeded Augustana took care of No. 6-seeded Winona State, 4-1.

The Beavers will face rival U-Mary in the semifinals. It’s a rematch of last year’s first round contest that the Marauders won 1-0 in a snowstorm.

MSU beat U-Mary earlier in the season, 3-2, at Herb Parker Stadium. The Beavers had to come from behind to win that five-goal contest as well.

“It will be interesting with a neutral site this time,” Spain said. “It’s usually a crazy environment, there or here. So, playing them in Mankato, I have no idea what to expect… It’s going to be two teams coming off crazy games and emotional highs.”

Hosts Mankato will play Augustana at 11 p.m. on Friday in the first semifinal match. Minot State versus U-Mary will follow at 2 p.m.

The championship game will be Sunday, with the winner automatically getting a bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Alex Eisen covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.

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