BEMIDJI, Minn. - Despite falling behind 2-0 and allowing a penalty kick goal in the first half, the Bemidji State University soccer team never gave up, scoring three second-half goals to come from behind and defeat Minnesota State University Moorhead 3-2 in the championship game of the second annual Super 8 BSU Fall Classic Sunday afternoon at BSU Soccer Field. The win gave the Beavers the tournament title, and also kept their undefeated streak alive as they now sit at 5-0 to start the season.

As has been the case in most of the games in the early going this year, Bemidji State came out sluggish and didn’t play up to its potential in the first half of play.

The Beavers have been able to avoid being hurt by the slow starts, but the Dragons took advantage.

Katie Hiemstra scored the first goal of the game in the 16th minute, and Richelle Ross added a penalty kick in the 41st minute to give MSUM a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.

Goalkeeper Abby Kjonaas (Fr., Fargo, N.D.) received her first collegiate start, and played a solid game, saving five shots and giving up the two goals. In a pre-planned move by coach Jim Stone, Kjonaas played the first half and goalkeeper Samantha Ross (So., Stillwater, Minn.) relieved her and played the final 45 minutes.

Something happened during the intermission that lit a fire under the collective belly of the Beavers, because the team that came out to play the second half was not the same one that gave up the two goals in the first.

BSU seemed anxious to cut into the lead early in the second, and got off multiple shots at the MSUM goalkeeper. After testing the keeper early with no success, the Beavers finally got on the board in the 58th minute, and the comeback was on.

Defender Kari McAllen (Fr., Fargo, N.D.) controlled the ball along the east side of the pitch deep in Beaver territory. She kicked it along the line up toward Jamie Ford (Jr., Edina, Minn.), who was waiting in between two defenders. The ball deflected off Ford and the Dragon defender before Ford was able to steal it off the foot of the defender and kick it ahead of everybody. She took off on a sprint and blew by both defenders, catching up to the ball with nothing but green grass between her and the goalkeeper. She moved toward the center of the field as she approached the penalty box, and proceeded to rifle a shot near-post into the back of the net for the unassisted marker.

Making sure there would be no shutout was nice, but two more goals were needed in order to take home the tournament championship and keep the win streak alive.

Enter Ashlee Ellefsen.

The sophomore midfielder from Hugo, Minn., took it upon herself to get the Beavers their fifth-straight win to start the season. She started off with a goal in the 68th minute that tied the game at two. The ball was pin-balling between multiple players just outside the Dragon penalty box as Bemidji State was continuing to apply pressure in an increased effort to notch the equalizer.

Ellefsen and forward Danielle Uphoff (Jr., Brainerd, Minn.) were the two Beavers in the tussle, and Uphoff won the ball directly in front of the goal. She chipped a pass over to Ellefsen who saw Uphoff take control and was moving into a position to take an open shot. She took a strike from 18 yards out and the bullet shot sailed over the keeper’s outstretched hands into the top right corner of the net. Uphoff recorded her first assist of the year and her ninth as a Beaver, moving her into a tie for ninth-place on the all-time list.

But the game wasn’t over yet.

Both teams worked hard for the game-winner, but it was Bemidji State who was able to find that elusive goal. Midfielder Brianna Duff (Fr., Ramsey, Minn.) was tussling with a Dragon midfielder 30 yards away from the Beaver goal. Duff was able to poke the ball away from the Dragon, and the ball went to fellow center mid Kara Smyth (So., Cary, Ill.). She had time to move the ball closer to midfield, and she did so before bombing a deep ball that sailed over the heads of all the players. Ellefsen was the fastest player to the ball, and she dribbled toward the MSUM net after settling it. She took two touches to move into position just inside the penalty box, and her third touch was a shot from the right side of the box that went into the left side of the net past a diving keeper in the 73rd minute. Duff recorded her first collegiate point, and Smyth registered her first assist of the season after leading the team in that category a year ago.

Bemidji State had to shut down MSU Moorhead for the final 13 minutes after making the improbable comeback, and they did so successfully despite an increase in pressure from the Dragons. This was nothing new, as BSU has had to kill off the final minutes of a tight game twice already this year.

The Beavers outshot the Dragons 28-25 (14-10 on goal), which may come as a surprise because MSUM came into the game averaging 36 shots per game.

BSU also led in corner kick chances 7-1, and the Dragons were called for 17 fouls to BSU’s 11.

Ross pitched another shutout, and has only allowed one goal in 323:19 of action this season. She has a 0.28 goals against average, and her .968 save percentage is outstanding. She saved three shots in the game, and has now saved 30-of-31 shots faced this season, and is currently 5-0 on the season.

Ellefsen was named the MVP of the tournament, as she led the tournament in both goals (4) and points (9). Ford, Ross, McAllen and midfielder Kim Sorteberg (Jr., Anoka, Minn.) were the five BSU players named to the All-Tournament Team.

Bemidji State is now 7-1 against MSU Moorhead in the last eight meetings, and the Beavers have tied the record for the longest win-streak in school history with five wins. They also now own the record for the longest home win-streak, which sits at four consecutive games dating back to the final home game of last year - a 3-2 win over Upper Iowa University.

Ford now has 36 career points, and moves into sole possession of fifth-place in points scored in school history. Her and Ellefsen both have 13 career goals, and are tied with each other for fifth all-time in that category.

Ellefsen has now scored six goals this season, which includes five in the last three games. She has 30 career points, putting her in eighth place in school history. She also scored her fifth-career game-winning goal, tying her for third in school history in that category.

The Beavers are now the last remaining undefeated team in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference as the Dragons move to 2-1 on the season.

The undefeated Beavers will travel to Jamestown, N.D., to take on the Jimmies at 7 p.m. Thursday in a rematch from the 4-1 victory that took place Sept. 2. A win against Jamestown College would break the record for the longest win streak in school history.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
BEMIDJI STATE UNIVERSITY
Ashlee Ellefsen (MVP)
Jamie Ford
Kim Sorteberg
Samantha Ross
Kari McAllen

MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY MOORHEAD
Sarah Toward
Katie Heimstra
Richelle Ross
Tricia Vanyo

NORTHWESTERN (IA) COLLEGE
Kelly Salem
Katy Phillips

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