LEAPING CATCH — Fairmont Area goalkeeper Cadee Becker (far right) leaps to catch a shot on goal by New Ulm’s Livia Reinarts (fourth from right) during Big South Conference soccer action Tuesday night at Kot Soccer Complex in Fairmont. Cardinal players, from left, Carissa Saxton, Samantha Castro, Bailey Martinson and Mackenzie Householder — along with New Ulm’s Annika Morschauser (22), watch the defensive gem. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — Fairmont Area defender Carissa Saxton and Cardinals head girls soccer coach Matt Nielsen just grinned and shook their respective heads 13 seconds prior to intermission of Tuesday night’s game.

Saxton had just launched a perfect 40-yard direct kick — with time winding down in the opening 40-minute half — to catch the cords and extend the hometown Cardinals’ margin over the New Ulm Eagles to 2-0 at Kot Soccer Complex.

Striker Sami Lenort delivered one goal and one assist to complement Saxton’s long-range missile in powering Fairmont Area’s 4-1 Big South Conference triumph over New Ulm in Fairmont.

“The irony was that the coaches (Claire Gerhardt and Halea Picha) and I had talked extensively to the girls in practice about what to do on a free kick,” Nielsen said with a laugh. “We went over different scenarios, and then I looked at Carissa and said, ‘If you feel there’s an opportunity to score, just go for it and put it (free kick) in the net.

“The timing of Carissa’s goal was a back-breaker for New Ulm.”

After nearly 25 minutes of defensive-dominated action, Fairmont Area midfielder Ellie Schultze weaved her way along the point and laced a left-footed liner just inside the right pipe and between New Ulm goalie Elizabeth Dake’s extended dive to end the offensive drought at the 15:08 juncture. Selma Bleess delivered the assist on the play.

With Eagles netminder Dake stonewalling the Cardinals’ Lenort on a pair of scorched end-line risers, Saxton placed the ball, watched the time elapse to inside of 15 seconds and lofted a perfect shot that went over Dake’s leap and into the twine with 13 seconds left before halftime.

Lenort then etched her name into the scoring column during the second half to stake the Cardinals to a comfortable 3-0 lead. Lenort drove the left wing, cut right and curled a shot that bounced off an Eagle defender and caromed into the left corner of the net with 35:45 remaining in regulation.

Lenort did not stop working, however, as time elapsed, finding teammate Elayna Anderson with a crossing pass from the left endline. Anderson tapped the soccer ball by Dake for a 4-1 lead with 4:48 left in the second half.

Livia Reinarts, however, would not be denied from finding the twine for the Eagles. The New Ulm striker rushed the right wing, got hemmed in by Fairmont Area defenders near the end line, spun back toward the net and skidded a crossing shot by Becker with only 1:05 remaining to spoil the shutout bid.

Becker finished with four saves on the game for the Cardinals, while Dake garnered five stops.

Fairmont Area (7-0-1) travels to Mankato East on Thursday for a 5 p.m. nonconference game, while New Ulm (3-7) plays host to Faribault at noon Saturday.

New Ulm 0-1–1

Fairmont 2-2–4

Scoring Plays

1st Half

FA–Ellie Schultze (Selma Bleess), 15:08.

FA–Carissa Saxton direct kick, 0:13.

2nd Half

FA–Sami Lenort (unassisted), 35:45.

FA–Elayna Anderson (Sami Lenort), 4:48.

NU–Livia Reinarts (unassisted), 1:05.

Shots on goal: Fairmont Area 5-4–9; New Ulm 2-3–5. Corners: Fairmont Area 6; New Ulm 3.

Saves: Cadee Becker (FA) 4; Elizabeth Dake (NU) 5.

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Alysen Lindquist collected one goal and one assist to help guide Fairmont Area to a 2-1 triumph over New Ulm during junior varsity action Tuesday in Fairmont.

Lindquist tallied an unassisted goal before distributing a pass to Kennedy Becker, who drilled home the net-finding shot.

Madi Stromberg recorded four saves to net the win for Fairmont Area.

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Boys Soccer

New Ulm 9, Fairmont Area 0 — The Eagles erupted for four first-half goals and chipped in five more during the final 40 minutes of regulation to shut out the Cardinals during Big South Conference action on Tuesday in New Ulm.

New Ulm produced a 13-4 shots-on-goal advantage over Fairmont Area, in addition to a 5-1 edge in corner kicks.

Eli Broomfield generated three shots on goal for the Cardinals, while Matthew Kotewa chipped in one.

Goalie Jonathan Heinze made four saves for Fairmont Area (5-4-2), which plays host to Southwest Minnesota Christian at 7 p.m. Thursday night at Kot Soccer Complex.

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New Ulm rolled by Fairmont Area in junior varsity boys soccer action, 9-1, Tuesday in New Ulm.

Douglas Garcia accounted for the Cardinals’ only goal, while teammate Matthew Malo made three stops between the pipes.