BELLINGHAM, Wash. – For the second round in a row, it was Ellise Putnam who scored the game-winning goal for Colorado School of Mines in the 2022 NCAA Women's Soccer Championships, and this time it secured a 1-0 victory over the top seed in the South Central Region and #1 team in the country, Dallas Baptist.
 
Despite being outshot 17-11 and 9-3 in shots on goal, the Orediggers (18-1-3) relied on their defense and got a career day in goal by Sadie Wolf to hold the Patriots (17-2-1, 10-1-1) off the board to secure the win, avenging an early season loss to DBU to advance to the national quarterfinals for the fifth time in program history.
 
DBU's Joeli Benson put up the day's first shot in the fourth minute to test Wolf early before Reese McDermott put up the first shot for Mines in the match on a free kick in the ninth minute that missed off-target to the right of goal as both sides tried to feel each other out in the opening moments of play after not having matched up since Sept. 3. The Patriots had a corner kick in the 18th minute that saw Angelina Olmos end up with ball out near the top of the penalty area where she uncorked a shot on goal, but Wolf was able to punch the shot away over the top of the crossbar before another shot attempt off a second corner kick missed high and right as things stayed even approaching the halfway mark in the period.
 
The 26th minute again saw Dallas Baptist threaten after a first-shot attempt inside the area was blocked before Annie Severide fired a strike from point-blank range right at Wolf. Countering quickly, Laura Butler fired a shot at Adrianna Schroeder but the save was made to keep the match scoreless.
 
As the two sides continued to exchange shots, it was the Orediggers who ended up breaking through for the first goal of the contest. After a header from DBU was snared by Wolf, Mines played the ball back upfield and a shot from McDermott was  corralled by Landry Corbett, who played a cross into the box. The ball was headed down by a DBU defender to the feet of Putnam just inside the top of the box, and she fired a strike into the lower left corner past a diving Schroeder to make it 1-0 in favor of Mines.
 
Mines looked to try and add to their lead in the second half with Paola Rubi putting up the first shot of the period but missing well high in the 48th minute before Afton Rasco's try in the 53rd minute was partially blocked by the defense. Severide and Kaleigh Naizer managed the first two shots in the period for DBU but both missed off target to the right, and Butler looked to make it a two-goal game in the 60th minute when she got loose behind the DBU defense, but her shot from the near-side started left and stayed left as it missed outside the post.
 
The Patriots did manage to find a few windows to get off a shot in the final 30 minutes of play from Naizer and Michelle Gonzalez, but all were either saved by Wolf or missed off target. With time winding down and the desperation increasing, DBU upped their effort in their offensive third. Severide put up a pair of shots back-to-back in the 83rd minute, the first of which ricocheted off the right post back into play where she tried to take advantage of Wolf being out of position, but the freshman was able to scramble back to make the save while getting fouled on the sequence.
 
Wolf continued to stand tall in goal, making another point-blank save in the 87th minute on a shot from Rachel Allen and once again moments later on a try from Gonzalez. Corbett looked to double the lead in the 88th minute when she pulled up from just outside the top of the box and had her try punched over the crossbar by Schroeder; McDermott fired a last-minute try and Mines was able to hold onto the ball in their offensive zone as time expired for a 1-0 win to advance to the national quarterfinals on Saturday.
 
NOTABLES
- Putnam's goal was her second of the postseason and third in NCAA Tournament play; she now has three game-winning scores on the national stage.
- Wolf posted a career-high nine saves in goal, posting her eighth shutout of the season.
- The win was the first time in 362 days that a Mines program defeated the #1-ranked team in the country.
- The win also snapped a four-match winless streak against the Patriots, as Mines last win in the series came in the NCAA Second Round in 2017.
- The Orediggers return to the national quarterfinals for the fifth time in program history and first time since 2016.
 
UP NEXT
Mines will now take on the West Region champions, second-seeded #10 Western Washington in the National Quarterfinals on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines women's soccer on Twitter at @mineswsoc. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.