Superior sneaks by Bethany Lutheran

The hard work that the Yellowjacket women's soccer team has been putting in paid off on Tuesday night, as they snapped a two-game losing skid by the slimmest of margins.

Junior captain Chelsea Cossin (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown) scored her second goal of the season shortly after halftime and goalkeeper Kalea Hatlewick (Fergus Falls, Minn./Fergus Falls) took care of the rest as the Yellowjackets blanked Bethany Lutheran College 1-0 in Mankato, Minn.

Bethany Lutheran held the territorial advantage for much of the first half, attempting 12 shots to the Yellowjackets' four and outshooting them 4-2 in the first 45 minutes, Hatlewick was strong, particularly in the middle part of the half and stopped all four attempts.

After the break the teams went back-and-forth and the game remained scoreless until the Yellowjackets finally broke through.  In the 59th minute, Cossin, on assists from Taylor Piechocki (Oconomowoc, Wis./Oconomowoc ) and Shelby Coombs (Anaheim, Calif./Magnolia ) fired a shot past Viking goalkeeper Alexa Mowery to stake the Yellowjackets to the 1-0 lead.

In the minutes following the goal the Vikings cranked up the pressure on the Yellowjackets, but Hatlewick was there time and again to keep the the opposition off the board. Bethany Lutheran outshot the Yellowjackets 3-0 after the goal, but Hatlewick and the team defense shut the door to preserve the win.

Hatlewick finished the game with eight saves, improving to 3-2-0 on the year. The shutout was her second of the season and third of her career. At the other end Mowery was saddled with the loss, finishing the match with two saves on three shots.

The Yellowjackets (3-5-0, 0-0-0 WIAC) return home on Saturday, September 21 when they will entertain UW-Platteville in their first conference match of the season. Game time is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. at the Superior Soccer Complex. Saturday's match will also be the Third Annual "Caps for Cancer" game for the Yellowjackets. Fans are encouraged to bring new winter hats to the game. The hats will be donated to the Caring Ways Cancer Resource Center at the Essentia Health Cancer Center, who will then provide them to people in the Northland who are undergoing treatment of cancer. For more information on the event, please contact Yellowjacket Athletics at 715-395-4614. More information is also available online by going here.