BEMIDJI, Minn. - The Bemidji State soccer team (11-10-0, 3-4-0 NSIC) received goals from three different players en-route to a 3-0 win over Concordia-St. Paul (10-11-0, 4-3-0 NSIC) Tuesday, marking its first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament win in the nine-year history of the program. NSIC Defensive Player of the Week selection sophomore goalkeeper Kari Torgerson (New Hope, Minn.) stopped four shots and captured her seventh shutout of the season.

“It was our best game of the season, as we played great in the back, we countered well and we were dangerous on the attack,” head coach Jim Stone said. “Today it was an all-out team effort and everyone played well. The whole team stepped up and I think that was symbolic of the type of game it was.”

For the first time this year Ashley Lehmeier (Sartell, Minn.) started for the Beavers and the move paid off in dividends, as Lehmeier who normally plays an extensive amount off the bench led the BSU offensive attack by providing the game-winning goal and an assist in the contest. The sophomore lit up the scoreboard just two minutes into the match with her sixth goal of the season.

BSU extended its lead to 2-0 in the 21st minute when sophomore Tegan Moehn (Anoka, Minn.) tallied a goal for the second consecutive match off helpers from Ashley Lehmeier and sophomore Lindsey Natwick (Bismarck, N.D). Lehmeier’s assist was her sixth of the year and it moved her into third on the team’s scoring list with 18 points. Natwick secured her team-leading seventh assist, which places her fourth on the squad in scoring with 15 points.

The Beavers carried a 2-0 lead into halftime along with a 8-6 shot advantage over the Golden Bears.
Bemidji State put the finishing touches on its victory in the 69th minute as sophomore Katie Meinhardt (Maple Grove, Minn.) added to her record-breaking single-season goal total with her team-best 17th goal. In her second season in a Green and White uniform, Meinhardt has generated 38 points, good for the top spot on her team’s scoring column. Meinhardt was second on the team last year with nine points (4g, 1a), meaning she has amassed 29 more points in her sophomore campaign, a feat not repeated by any other player in BSU history.

For the afternoon the Bemidji State fired 14 shots to Concordia-St. Paul’s 12. Kara Gamboni compiled six saves in net for the Golden Bears.

The 2004 squad continues its role as pioneers in BSU soccer history this weekend as the Beavers will make their first appearance in the NSIC Tournament Semifinals against the top-seeded Winona State (13-3-2, 6-1-0 NSIC). The two teams collide at noon on Saturday, Nov. 6 at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota.

Stone knows that the road to the top in the NSIC starts with a strong performance against Winona State.

“We will be working hard in practice so we can be as prepared as possible for Saturday’s game with Winona,” Stone said. “We know that if you want to be a champion you have to go through the champions.”

In the second game of the day, No. 2 Southwest Minnesota State takes on No. 3 Northern State at 3:30 p.m. The winners will advance to the NSIC Championship at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, while the losers battle for third place at noon.