Since the Minot State women’s soccer team was already locked into the No. 4 seed for the upcoming Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament, head coach Jason Spain took the opportunity Sunday to shake up his lineup, rest his starters and give meaningful minutes to those who hardly get any.

A scoreless stalemate ensued. But, after a random two-minute hail storm near the end of regulation, the reliable freshman Sofia Lewis popped up to save senior day by giving the Beavers (12-4-2, 11-3-1 NSIC) a 1-0 overtime win over MSU Moorhead (1-13-3, 1-12-3 NSIC) at Herb Parker Stadium.

“Today, we were just ready to get the game over with,” Lewis said. “It was a very strange game. It was bizarre. It was good ending my season on an even number (of goals). I just wanted an even number.”

In the hunt for NSIC Freshman of the Year, Lewis concluded the regular season with her team-leading 12th goal.

Alex Eisen/MDN Minot State’s Ashley Franco (right) gets fouled by MSU Moorhead’s Kylee Billings (left) in the last game of the regular season.

It was an elegant volley that beat MSU Moorhead goalkeeper Corina Edgington to the near post. Junior Haley Berryman provided the ball into the box for her team-high sixth assist.

“Haley gave me a cross from the goal line, just doing what she does best to give me a perfect cross,” Lewis said. “I just hit it in. Simple as that.”

The goal came with just 15 seconds left in the first overtime with the Beavers playing into the wind.

“It was a little odd,” Spain said about how the game unfolded. “With us starting all those players, it just sucked some of the intensity out of the game right from the beginning. For the first 25 minutes, it was kind of not very physical and not very intense.

“We came back out with that same group in the second half and I thought it was a lot more intense. It seemed more like a college game. Then, we put our starters in, and the other team picked it up because they wanted to beat our starters at that point. But, it was a good way to finish. It was a nice goal away from the run of play, which is what I wanted.”

Alex Eisen/MDN Minot State freshman Sofia Lewis directs in a cross from Haley Berryman to score the game-winning goal in the first overtime Sunday against MSU Moorhead at Herb Parker Stadium.

It was a milestone victory for Spain, as he picked up his 700th varsity and his 350th collegiate win.

Minot State is now unbeaten in its last 10 matches, second-longest streak in school history. And MSU goalkeeper Erin Rafferty made two saves to increase the school’s single-season shutout record to nine games.

Alongside Creese, seniors Maritssa Perez and Kellie Piazza played in their final regular season home game on senior day. In total, 21 Beavers got playing time.

“A few of those kids played really well and a few kids didn’t play very well,” Spain said. “But, at least we got some extended minutes to look at them on film during a fall game while the result was in doubt, which is a key part of the equation. It’s one thing when we are up 3-0 and they get out there, and another thing when they are fighting for the win.”

The Beavers played into the wind during the first half and were held in check, getting outshot 3-2. They finished with a 15-6 (6-2 on target) shot advantage.

And, as if the wind gusts weren’t comical enough, marble-sized hail pummeled the players late in the second half.

“That was the weirdest thing that has ever occurred,” Lewis said. “It was like Satan’s tears. It was pelting my face and I was like, ‘What? Are you going to stop the game or are we going to pretend like this isn’t happening?'”

Eventually, it was Lewis who addressed and resolved the crying from the sky, presumably because of a scoreless game, with her golden goal.

By finishing fourth in the conference, the Beavers open the first round of the NSIC Tournament with a home game at Herb Parker Stadium against No. 5-seeded St. Mary’s (11-4-2, 9-4-2 NSIC).

MSU lost to U-Mary, 2-1, in its first conference game this season in Bismarck.

The rematch in Minot will be Wednesday at 5 p.m.

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