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Cardinals girls soccer grounds Eagles, 2-1

FAIRMONT — “When the lights went on, we woke up,” Fairmont Area head girls soccer coach Matt Nielsen said with a smile.

Trailing 1-0 on the scoreboard and 11-2 in the shots-on-goal statistical category, Cardinal senior striker Brooke Hunwardsen’s curling kick flipped the switch on Fairmont Area’s offense with 2:52 remaining in the initial 40-minute segment on Monday night.

Hunwardsen converted Lexi Kaufman’s entry pass into the tying goal before teammate Grace Higgins delivered what proved to be the game-winner off Isabelle Lenort’s first-half pass to pace Fairmont Area’s 2-1 triumph over the New Ulm Eagles at Kot Soccer Complex in Fairmont.

“It felt like a big struggle during the early stages of the (Big South Conference) game tonight,” said Nielsen. “We started to build some momentum and control the ball a little more and then we got the penalty. After they (the Eagles) converted the PK, it proved to be a psychological letdown for us.”

Sophomore midfielder Madison Roufs took New Ulm’s penalty kick from short range and drove a left-to-right low liner past a diving Fairmont Area goalkeeper Taylor Eicholz for a 1-0 lead at the 26:58 juncture of the first half.

Ironically, Eicholz proved a defensive wall for the rest of the opening segment and the entire second half, recording a dozen of her game-best 15 saves to net the win for the Cardinals.

“Taylor made some great saves during the second half. It was good to have her back in goal for tonight’s game, and to have Brooke (Hunwardsen) back in her natural environment (striker’s spot),” Nielsen said in reference to Eicholz’s absence between the pipes during the Cardinals’ back-to-back losses to open the season.

After Eicholz denied New Ulm junior striker Elle Cooper’s right-wing curling shot by utilizing her vertical leap to bat the ball away, the Fairmont Area goalkeeper proved double-trouble for the Eagles with 7 minutes remaining in the first half. Eicholz slid low to block Paige Kalis’ shot near the top of the box before diving and smothering Cooper’s potential rebound attempt.

The hard-working Hunwardsen then knotted the game at 1-all by taking Kaufman’s entry pass near the right endline. Hunwardsen made a sharp turn and curled a high shot around New Ulm goalie Caleigh Heck’s hands for a Fairmont goal at the 2:52 juncture.

Only 51 seconds later, Lenort took control of the ball in traffic and spotted Higgins near the point. Higgins chipped a high-arching shot that floated over an extended Heck and into the webbing for a 2-1 lead with 2:01 left before intermission.

Sophomore striker Joni Becker looked to extend the Cardinals’ lead with a left-wing blast at the 18:37 mark of the second half, and later, from the point at the 6:42 mark, but Heck displayed her mettle by making a body stop and a catch to prevent any further point production.

Fairmont Area (1-2, 1-1 Big South) travels to Mankato Loyola today for a 4:30 p.m. game, while New Ulm (0-1-1, 0-1) hits the road to Faribault tonight for a 7 p.m. non-league contest.

New Ulm 1-0–1

Fairmont 2-0–2

Scoring Plays

1st Half

NU — Madison Roufs penalty kick, 26:58.

FA — Brooke Hunwardsen (Lexi Kaufman), 2:52.

FA — Grace Higgins (Isabelle Lenort), 2:01.

2nd Half

No scoring.

Shots on goal: Fairmont Area 4-3–7; New Ulm 11-5–16.

Saves: Taylor Eicholz (FA) 10-5–15; Caleigh Heck (NU) 2-3–5.

Corners: Fairmont Area 2-5–7; New Ulm 1-0–1.

Maddie Maakestad and Savanah Baker each produced goals to power Fairmont Area to a 2-1 victory over New Ulm during junior varsity action Monday.

Brooklyn Meyer distributed assists on both goals, while netminder Kaiden Boerner recorded 10 saves to earn the win for the Cardinals (2-1).

Three different players reached the scoring column to pace Fairmont Area’s 3-1 triumph over New Ulm during C-squad action Monday night in Fairmont.

Cayla Phinney-Colby, Kalie Hanna and Mackenzie Householder scored goals for the Cardinals, while Sami Lenort and Taylor Spencer each doled out one assist.

Cadee Becker made three saves, while Hanna tallied five stops in sharing Fairmont Area’s goalkeeping duties.

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