BEMIDJI, Minn. - Sophomore Katie Meinhardt (Maple Grove, Minn.) scored two goals in leading the Beavers (8-8; 1-3 NSIC) to a 2-1 NSIC victory over Wayne State College Sunday at the BSU Soccer Field. In addition to vaulting BSU to its first league win of 2004, Meinhardt also equaled the Bemidji State single-season scoring record notching her 14th marker of the season.

The Beavers began the game peppering the Wayne State goalkeeper with a barrage of shots. During the first four minutes of play, BSU recorded six shots on goal. Junior Lindsey Natwick (Bismarck, N.D.) found Meinhardt with a pass that she placed in the back of the net to put BSU up 1-0 just 3:46 into the game.

The Wildcats would tilt the field the other way as the half neared its end knotting the game 1-1 on a header by Tanya Mitchell in the 22nd minute, but that is the way the score would stay as the halftime horn sounded.

BSU outshot the Wildcats 11-8 in the half forcing the WSC goalie to make seven saves.

In the second half both teams struggled to mount any offensive attack as the teams played to a stalemate for the first 15 minutes. But Meinhardt would put the Beavers on top 2-1 in the 63rd minute as she dribbled around a Wildcat defender and kicked the ball just over the outstretched arms of the WSC goalkeep for her record-tying 14th goal of 2004. With the goal she sits atop the BSU single-season scoring list with Becky Elk and her 14-goal 1999 campaign. Elk is BSU's all-time leading scoring having tallied 30 goals in her career (1999-2001). Meinhardt moved past her teammate Natwick into second on the school's all-time scorer's list with 18 career goals just a portion of the way through her sophomore season.

The Beavers would hold off the WSC charge as the clock neared the 90:00 minute mark securing the 2-1 win.

"I think we showed a lot of heart today," said BSU Head Coach Jim Stone after the game. "It would have been easy for us to come out after a tough loss like yesterday's and be flat, but we played as hard as we could for 90 minutes and we were fortunate to get a good result."

Sunday's victory ties BSU with Minnesota-Crookston for sixth place just one game out of fourth place where Wayne State and Northern State, BSU's next opponent, are locked in a tie with 2-2 league records. "This win puts us back in the thick of things as far as the NSIC goes. If we can continue to play good soccer from here on out, we will have a shot at making the conference tournament for the first time in the program's history."

When asked about Meinhardt's milestone goal Stone said, "I think more than anything the record is significant for the team, because it means is wins for us. When you don't have one or two goal-scorers it's tough to win games. One of the reasons we are off to to the best season in BSU history at 8-8 is because Katie has been putting the ball in the net. On the individual side of things, the improvement from her freshman year to her sophomore year has been incredible. Hopefully she can get one or two more so she won't just tie the record but break it."

BSU evens its overall record at 8-8 with a 1-3 in NSIC play, while Wayne State falls to 5-11 overall and 2-2 in the NSIC. Bemidji State will be in action again Friday, Oct. 22 when the team travels to Aberdeen, S.D. to face Northern State University in NSIC play. The game is set for a 3:00 p.m. start.