The Pioneers continued their strong conference play, beating #3 Benedictine College 5-1 on Tuesday night in Atchison.
MNU started the game tough, looking to fend off the strong attack of the Ravens, but it was the Pioneers offensive attack that proved to be decisive. With just over 20 minutes played in the game, junior forward
Taryn McClendon worked her way into the BC offensive half before being fouled in the corner. Defender
Kelli Reid stepped up to take the ensuing free kick and placed the ball into the near side part of the box and found the head of senior
Kalyn Pfaff who beat the Raven's goalkeeper on her near post, putting MNU up 1-0.
MNU would not settle for the 1-0 score line for long. Just two minutes after the Pioneer's first goal, they would find another. Defender
Breanna FitzGerald stepped up to take a throw-in in the BC offensive half. She threw the ball into Pfaff who laid the ball directly back to Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald hit the ball back first time, placing a looping ball into the BC goal and over the outstretched hands of the goalkeeper, putting the Pioneers up 2-0, just 24 minutes into the game.
Despite the 2-0 score line in favor of the Pioneers, they kept their foot on the gas pedal and would find a third goal before the end of the first half. With 15 minutes left in the first, Pfaff was involved once again as she found the ball in midfield and played to a streaking
Hannah Benedict. Benedict touched it past one Raven defender before getting herself in the box and perfectly placing the ball into the side netting and past the BC goalkeeper, putting MNU up 3-0.
Benedictine College would come out fighting in the second half, looking to break into the game. MNU was able to hold off the Raven's strong attack until 15 minutes into the half. BC won a ball in the MNU box and headed the ball down to a Raven attacker. The midfielder was able to beat goalkeeper
Anesa Curic and bring score line to 3-1 in the 58th minute.
For the next 12 minutes, both teams would battle back and forth; MNU trying to finish the Ravens off, while BC looked to find their second and get into the game. However, with 11 minutes to go in the game, forward
Monique Elias chased down a BC defender to win the ball back and find the feet of
Taryn McClendon who was brought down just outside the box. Junior
Kelli Reid stepped up to take the ensuing free kick. Reid fired a shot up and over the hands of the Benedictine College goalkeeper and into the top corner, putting the Pioneers up 4-1.
The offensive power of MNU would not stop there, as just two minutes later, the Pioneers would go up 5-1. Forward
Hannah Benedict fought her way past a BC defender along the end line. Benedict would find the feet of midfielder
Ilyssa Ruzan who slotted the ball into the near side of the net, capping off an impressive 5-1 win for the Pioneers.
Goalkeeper
Anesa Curic finished off a strong performance, along with the MNU backline, frustrating the attack of Benedictine College.
Senior forward
Kalyn Pfaff on the game, "I always say there's no such thing as big games; just games. But last night was special. There's not a player that's played at MNU that isn't proud and excited about what we were able to do. I even got a little emotional watching it all finally come together for us. It's definitely a milestone for our program and a testament to how much we've grown."
MNU is 9-4-1 (5-1 Heart). Next up for the Pioneers is Homeciming vs. Culver-Stockton (8-4-1, 3-3) on Saturday at 1:00. The game will be played at the
Olathe District Activities Center.
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