Nov. 10—BEMIDJI — It took only 30 seconds.
A half a minute after Breanna Weilert kicked the ball off the center-line dot to begin the NSIC Tournament against seventh-seeded Northern State, Kenzie Harer connected with Madisen Fritel on a charge up the field. Frtiel picked the bottom-right corner of the goal to give the second-seeded Bemidji State women’s soccer team a 1-0 lead.
For the Wolves, conceding a goal that early was essentially a death sentence to their postseason aspirations.
Dating back to Oct. 17, the Beavers allowed just one goal in seven games. They compiled six clean sheets in that stretch heading into the playoffs, with the lone blemish coming on a penalty kick on Oct. 26 against Winona State.
So after BSU got its first-minute lead, it packed the defending third and fended off each NSU chance en route to a 2-0 quarterfinal win at Chet Anderson Stadium.
“It’s a great way to start; we’re always trying to do that,” junior defender Megan Ko. “We want to press hard and work hard, and get a goal early if we can. To do that was an awesome feeling. It gives us some confidence and settles us down so that we can play the way we want to play.”
BSU head coach Jim Stone said that getting an early lead like that can lure teams into a false sense of security, even teams with the defensive prowess Bemidji State has.
However, despite Northern State controlling possession for most of the first half, the Beavers allowed just one shot on target in the opening 45 minutes.
“The one thing I thought we did well after the goal was we defended, even though we defended more than we wanted to,” Stone said. “Credit to Northern State; they pressured us extremely well. It was a little more difficult to play long and bypass the midfield with the wind. When you factor all of those things in, we got stuck defending the next 44 minutes.”
Bemidji State looked as if it was content with sitting on its one-goal lead, but it didn’t hurt when Ko finished an impressive individual effort to double its edge over NSU.
Harer brought the ball into the attacking third, but she was outnumbered and fed a pass to Ko, who was trailing behind. Ko, in a 1-on-1 battle, drew the Northern State defender over to the left side of the pitch before striping a seeing-eye shot on the low-right side of the goal.
“I was expecting an overlap and tried to look for a pass,” Ko said. “When I saw the defender shift one way, I took it the other way and knew there was an opening. I took my shot, and I’m glad it went into the back of the net. … It definitely solidified our lead a little bit and gave us more confidence.”
With the win, the Beavers earned a semifinal date with third-seeded St. Cloud State at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 14, in Mankato. The Huskies blanked No. 6 Augustana at home by a score of 3-0 on Monday afternoon.
“I remember that they’re really, really good,” Stone said with a laugh. “They possess the ball better than anybody in our league, and probably play the prettiest soccer of anyone in our league. They’re just good.”
Top-seeded Minnesota State also advanced with a 2-1 win over No. 8 U-Mary. Because the Mavericks are the highest remaining seed, the final two rounds of the NSIC Tournament will be held at The Pitch in Mankato. Fifth-seeded Concordia-St. Paul went on the road and beat No. 4 Minot State in penalty kicks after a goalless regulation and extra time session.
The NSIC Tournament championship game will commence at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16.
The Beavers traveled to St. Cloud State on Oct. 10 and prevailed with a 2-1 win at Husky Stadium. Two days later, Katrina Barthelt scored the tying goal against Minnesota State in the 85th minute to escape with a 2-2 tie. It handed the Mavericks one of their two winless results in conference play this season.
Two years ago, the Beavers hoisted the NSIC Tournament trophy after dispatching U-Mary 2-0 in St. Cloud. Ko was a freshman in 2023 and remembers it vividly.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” she recalled. “It’s something we want to do for our seniors, while also giving experience to our freshmen and sophomores. … We do have a lot of experience, so being able to show the younger players that feeling would be a treat.”
Stone, the longest-tenured head coach in program history, is looking for his third conference tournament title since taking over the program in 2002.
“Some of the younger players were talking about how they haven’t experienced a championship,” he said. “Some of the older players were telling them about how fun it is and the memories that are created through it. You hope those moments are passed down and create a hunger for more of them.”
Bemidji State 2, Northern State 0
NSU 0 0 — 2
BSU 1 1 — 2
Bemidji State — Fritel 1′ (Harer); Ko 71′.
Northern State — No scoring.
Saves — Alfieri (BSU) 2; Turner (NSU) 3.
