The Pioneers fell short Wednesday evening against the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes 2-1.
The match kicked off with both teams battling through the difficult windy weather conditions. The first half showed both teams fighting to win possession of the ball in their attacking halves. Both teams created chances, but it was the Coyotes who broke the deadlock 23 minutes into the first half. After a free kick was awarded to Kansas Wesleyan just outside the MNU 18 yard box, the KWU striker placed a free kick into the upper corner of the goal, just over the fingertips of the goalkeeper. The half would end with MNU aggressively attacking the KWU backline, just missing the finishing touch to equalize the game.
However, MNU would breakthrough and even the score 16 minutes into the second half. Junior forward
Denise Dantzler found herself wide on the left and battled through several KWU defenders in the box before slotting the ball past the Coyote goalkeeper, tying the match at 1. The deadlock would not last long for the Pioneers, as just 3 minutes later, a KWU forward dribbled down the left hand side of the field before finding her teammate in the center of the box who placed the ball past
Lexi Gochnauer, taking the lead 2-1.
MNU would battle back against the Coyotes in the final minutes of the game, pinning the KWU players into their own half. But the Pioneers were unable to find the back of the net to find the equalizer.
MNU finished the game with 8 shots, 6 on target, compared to KWU's 11 shots, 10 on target. MNU will look to bounce back this Saturday as they head home to take on Oklahoma City University on Saturday at 1pm.
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