GETTING A LEG UP ­— Fairmont Area midfielder Mollie Leiding (4) plants before lofting a pass downfield before Marshall midfielder Hannah Gordon (14) can reach the soccer ball during a Big South Conference match Tuesday night at Kot Soccer Complex in Fairmont. The Cardinals’ Grace Simpson (10) tracks the play. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — While a driving first-half rain and wind chased away the no-see-ums at Kot Soccer Complex on Tuesday night, both Marshall and Fairmont Area still were itching for wins during their next-to-last regular-season girls soccer games at Kot Soccer Complex.

Rylee Jacobson and Averi Schneider each scored to stake the visiting Tigers to a 2-1 first-half lead before strong second-half efforts by midfielder Anna Kuecker and reserve netkeeper Madelyn Hoefer capped a 3-1 Big South Conference victory over the hometown Cardinals in Fairmont.

“We’re sitting in the fourth spot out of seven teams in our section (2AA), so hopefully we can secure a first-round home game with a win tonight,” said Marshall head coach Jose Losada-Montero.

Fairmont mentor Matt Nielsen’s lineup held the No. 3 spot in the Section 2A QRF rankings prior to Tuesday night’s loss, and hope to net at least the No. 4 seed and with it, an opening playoff game at Kot Soccer Complex next week.

“We’ll have to wait and see how the seeding all shakes out, and go from there,” said Nielsen.

Ironically, the Cardinals’ only goal of Tuesday night’s outing proved the same as the two BSC squads’ first game of the season — a Tigers’ 4-1 win on Sept. 7 in Marshall.

Trailing 2-0, Abbie Simpson worked the right wing near midfield and spotted Kennedy Becker sprinting down the middle of the field. Becker lofted a high-bounding shot that caught Hoefer straying too far away from the net and found the twine in the right top shelf to whittle the Cardinals’ deficit in half with 1:08 left before intermission.

“Kennedy made a nice play to place her shot and got a good bounce, but that’s one of the few that went our way tonight,” said Nielsen.

Jacobson outsprinted Fairmont Area’s backline on the soggy turf, drove directly at keeper Madi Stromberg and chipped a close shot inside the right pipe for a 1-0 lead at the 34:41 mark.

Averi Schneider then displayed her track speed by driving by the Cardinal defenders on a right-wing rush off a threaded pass from Elsie Deutz.

Schneider lined a riser that Stromberg leaped and got her finger tips on, but the top spin proved too strong and found the twine at the 18:23 juncture for a 2-0 Tigers’ lead.

Fairmont Area freshman midfielder Mollie Leiding made multiple drives against Marshall throughout the game, but was denied a good look at the net by the Tiger defenders.

Kuecker put the game away by netting an insurance goal with 10:25 left in the second half for Marshall, while Hoefer — a sure-handed seventh-grader — made three saves to net the win in relief of regular goalie Anna DeGroot, who missed the game due to illness.

Stromberg recorded a game-best nine saves between the pipes for the Cardinals.

Fairmont Area (3-11-1) travels to Worthington on Thursday night for its final game of the regular season at 7 p.m., while Marshall (6-4-4) plays host to New Ulm on Thursday night at Southwest Minnesota State University in another conference contest.

Marshall     2-1–3

Fairmont    1-0–1

Scoring Plays

1st Half

MAR–Rylee Jacobson (unassisted), 34:41.

MAR–Averi Schneider (Elsie Deutz), 18:23.

FMT–Kennedy Becker (Abbie Simpson), 1:08.

2nd Half

MAR–Anna Kuecker (unassisted), 10:25.

Shots on goal: Marshall 8-4–12; Fairmont Area 2-2–4. Corners: Fairmont Area 4; Marshall 1.

Saves: Madelyn Hoefer (MAR) 3; Madi Stromberg (FMT) 9.

Nola Thedens scored a pair of goals to power Fairmont Area to a 2-1 victory over Marshall during junior varsity action Tuesday in Fairmont.

Thedens netted an unassisted goal before converting a pass from Grace Kotewa into the Cardinals’ eventual game-winning goal.

Mary Bennett made six first-half saves for Fairmont Area, while teammate Addie Folkerts contributed seven second-half stops.

•

Boys Soccer

Marshall 5, Fairmont Area 0 — The Tigers posted a 5-0 win over the Cardinals during Big South Conference action Tuesday night at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall.

Jonathan Heinze made five saves between the pipes for the Cardinals in the opening half before Thomas Hamlet tallied four stops in the second segment.

Fairmont Area (5-7-3) plays host to Worthington at 7 p.m. Thursday night at Kot Soccer Complex.