KENOSHA, Wis. – For the first time since 2014, the Parkside women's soccer team defeated Saginaw Valley State, taking down the Cardinals 3-1 Friday afternoon at Wood Road Field. The win pushed the Rangers to 2-0-1 in GLIAC play, giving them 7 of a possible 9 points to open conference action for their best start since joining the league in 2018.
Saginaw Valley State (3-3-1, 1-2-0 GLIAC) opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Brie Clasen attacked down the left side and fired a shot that was saved by Parkside goalkeeper Tristen Cross. Emily Kolodin cleaned up the rebound for her second goal of the season to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.
Parkside (2-3-2, 2-0-1 GLIAC) answered six minutes later on a brilliant team effort. From her own defensive third, Makayla Wesemann sent a pass ahead to Emily Mikkelson, who sprinted downfield and found Ava Rizzitano just outside the box. Rizzitano maneuvered around two defenders before slipping a pass back to a cutting Mikkelson, whose shot deflected off goalkeeper Lainey Garbarz and rolled into the bottom left corner to tie the match at 1-1.
It was dead even going into halftime, but Saginaw Valley threatened immediately to open the second half as Kolodin broke free one-on-one with Cross, who made a diving save to keep the match level.
The Rangers took control in the 74th minute when Maya Gutierrez-Zamudio launched a throw-in from the near sideline to Leah Forde, who slid a pass to Carley Nolte just outside the 18-yard box. Nolte adjusted to a tough bounce and chipped the ball over Garbarz to give Parkside its first lead of the day.
With just seconds remaining, the Rangers sealed the win. Kayden Schmidt fired a throw-in from the right side that found Mikkelson, who raced past her defender and centered a pass to Rizzitano. The sophomore tapped in the goal with just two seconds left, clinching the 3-1 victory.
The Rangers outshot the Cardinals 17-14 and put seven attempts on frame compared to five for Saginaw Valley. Cross's four saves, including the early second-half stop to deny Kolodin, proved crucial as Parkside capitalized on its chances with three goals on just seven shots on goal. The Rangers also turned both of their second-half shots on target into goals, while Saginaw Valley could not convert any of its five corners in the second half as the Parkside defense held firm.
Both Mikkelson and Rizzitano finished with three points on the day, as each tallied a goal and an assist. Mikkelson now has two goals and two assists through the first three conference matches this season.
Parkside now heads on the road for a three-match swing, starting Sunday, Sept. 28, at Purdue Northwest at 11 a.m. as part of a men's and women's doubleheader.
For complete coverage of Parkside Athletics, visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.
