While the first half was slow, the second half began with an offensive explosion from the Scots. At 50 minutes in, Kate Bond ’21 sniped the ball from nearly 100 feet out. “It was a build-up out of the back,” she said. “It came from the center up to Jamie, and then Jamie laid a ball back to me that I took first touch from 30 yards out, and it curved into the right corner. Pretty much all our goals are a huge build-up out of the back, a lot of consecutive passes.”

Later in the half, the Norse replied with a flurry of shots, including two free kicks. Nonetheless, the Scots hung on behind great play from Rachel Wilson-King ’18 and the backline. Wilson-King held on to register the shutout, her second of the season. Wilson-King maintains a 0.00 goals-against average for the 2017 season, one of only five Division 3 goalkeepers to post that percentage.

Wilson-King, however, maintains that her defense deserves the praise.

“Our backline is really physical,” she said, adding that they are just as responsible for the goals against stat as she is.

However, the numbers aren’t what matter to Wilson-King. “That’s less of what I’m concerned about,” she said. “It’s not about the stats for me. It’s about making sure that our team is doing the best possible and if that means that I keep that 0.00 goals-against average that’s awesome, and that’s a cool stat to have, but if I don’t keep it, that’s less of a deal.”

The win is a great momentum boost for the Scots, who are currently 0-1-1 in conference play. They take this win into a stretch that will see them host Carleton College and St. Thomas University and travel to Concordia College before the end of the month. Bond tells me that their goal in these games is simple.

“Embarrass the MIAC,” she said.

Beyond that, she enjoys her experience with women’s soccer. “It’s really nice to be part of a team,” she said. “I mean, having preseason and stuff, meeting everyone, I felt like once school started I had friends and knew where to be. It’s nice to have upperclassmen you can also talk to.”

As the season continues, the Scots will have to rely on this closeness. The team only has 21 players, a small number for a college-level soccer team. It means that any player could be called upon to contribute, especially on a team that has already seen injuries affect key players. This camaraderie could become crucial for the Scots down the stretch.

The Scots’ next game is at home this Friday, against Carleton College at 4:30 p.m.